Unexpected Events
by Eevee22
Summary: My time at Ouran High School was supposed to be normal. I'm just a regular kid, except for the fact I'm almost completely blind and can only see the faint outline of things twenty feet in front of me, and yet somehow I got roped into this Host Club. How did I get here, and more importantly why didn't I just walk away?
1. Kitamura Saito

**Hey guys! This is my newest fic which I hope you'll like. I recently got into OHSHS so I decided I wanted to write a fic. So here it is!**

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I walked down the corridors silently, humming to myself in bored absence of thought. This was my first day of high school and as expected I hadn't really made any friends, but I didn't mind it, I preferred to keep to myself anyway. All I had so far was homeroom and my first lesson which was French, which I found pretty easy, and so it gave me a rather devoid sense of excitement for my first day. It was already break period, and since I didn't really know where I was going in this school I was wandering absently, mapping the layout of the school in my head.

But seriously, how big was this rich-kid school? My parents had managed to pay for it because of the rich clientele the tea shop attracted, and it was shocking how expensive the uniform alone was, but the fact remained that I was being put in the highest education possible should be respected, and so I did not complain at their choice. They were only doing what was best for me.

I looked up and noticed that the corridor split into two corners, and I absent-mindedly turned right, wandering down the corridors that were all black-and-white blurs for me, blending into nothing but seemingly repetitive patterns of window, column, painting, window, column and painting. How was this school even so big? Surely there must be some kind of limit on how big a building could be, and if there was this school certainly stamped out the rule and exceeded it.

I took another step, and then became dimly aware of a voice, sounding like someone shouting, though rather muffled, and I turned towards the sound to see the faint outline of a door. So there was someone arguing inside the room. Under most circumstances someone would then open the door and ask if there was a problem, but I felt no need to intrude on the problems of others, and so I simply continued on like nothing had happened.

And then there was the loud shatter of something ceramic, and I stopped mid-step, turning back to the door curiously. I raised an eyebrow, suddenly feeling concerned. Was there a violent argument going on in the room? Was there an accident? I frowned slightly, contemplating checking what was going on, and yet the other half of my mind told me to walk away as if nothing had happened. I stared blankly at the door for another moment before frowning slightly deeper, deciding I would check what was going on.

I stepped toward the door, and I could hear the animated conversation of several people inside. I reached for the door, placing my hand on the door and frowning as I slid my hand up and down the door in search of the handle until it eventually landed on something cold and metallic, and I wrapped my fingers around it and pushed it down, hearing the click of the door. I opened the door slowly, peering in carefully, noting immediately that there were multiple figures in the room. I also noticed something soft brush my face for a moment, and it felt like petals. Flower petals?

There was a slight pause, and I opened my mouth to speak.

"Welcome to the Ouran Host Club" one of the figures suddenly said, moving toward me quickly before I could say a word, and I frowned slightly. Host Club? What was that?

"Are you here to join us as a member?" the figure asked, and I noted how his voice sounded soft and tender, metaphorically like soft honey.

"I-"

"Hello there" said another two voices in unison, and suddenly another two figures appeared in front of me, and I almost jumped and then frowned curiously. How did they move so fast?

"Are you here to apply for a membership?" one figure asked.

"If so, you need to take it up with Kyouya" the other figure continued. I just stood there rather dumbfounded. Who was Kyouya? What membership?

"You look confused" another voice suddenly declared. I stopped and turned to the sound of the voice, but at this distance I couldn't see an outline of the person. His voice sounded calm and stoic.

"Heh?~" another voice asked, which I noted sounded far more childish than the rest of the group. It sounded like an elementary school student.

"Are you here to be a member of the Host Club?" the voice asked, and I continued to frown.

"I-"

"Of course he is!" came that regal voice again, "Why would he not walk through our esteemed doors than to apply for membership to such an exquisite club?"

I was now seriously confused. Who were these people, what was a Host Club, why do they think I would apply for a membership, and what on Earth had I just walked into?

I should have ignored the sound of shattering ceramics.

"Uh…" I began rather lamely, and I noticed the three figures in front of me turned back to me, though I couldn't make out their expressions.

"What is it?" two of the figures asked in unison, and I frowned again. How could they talk in unison like that?

"I just walked in here because I heard shouting and shattering of ceramics" I explained rather bluntly, and I heard a small 'eh?' from the figure with the regal voice, whilst the other two figures in front of me didn't move, and if their expressions changed I couldn't tell. The other people behind them hadn't moved, from what I could tell, and they hadn't made any sort of sound.

In that long pause it occurred to me I was still awkwardly peeping through the door, and so I slowly closed the door in an attempt to leave, but suddenly a hand grabbed my wrist, and before I knew it I was being dragged forwards. The world was suddenly a blur and all I could see was the faint outline of the figure dragging me towards something, and suddenly I was sat down in what felt like a chair, and a total of six figures were looming over me in various heights.

"Ah, you have good policies" the honey-toned person stated. I simply stared at him blankly, or at least I stared at where I thought his eyes were in an attempt to be polite.

"But if you're asking what that was about" the stoic voice suddenly intervened, "Then it was a commoner who shattered an important vase on auction".

"Eh? Don't call me a commoner!" another voice demanded, which I noted sounded rather girly, and I could tell by how the heads of the outlined figures turned that there was another person behind the six.

"We can call you whatever we like" one voice declared, and I frowned trying to categorize all these new voices, "You owe us a debt and so until it is paid it doesn't matter what was call you". Wait. What debt? What was going on here?

"What are you-" I began

"So it's settled!" the honey-toned person declared, "You're going to be our newest member! What's your name?". I stopped and my eyes widened.

"Wait, I don't-"

"We should get him a haircut immediately" the stoic-voiced person commented, "His hair is quite messy". I stopped, suddenly feeling very insecure about my hair. It wasn't my fault I couldn't do anything with it, the most I saw was a faint outline. Suddenly the outline of a figure was very close to my face and I felt uncomfortable, leaning back in the chair in order to avoid this guy's face. I felt a soft hand grab my chin, the fingers thin and delicate, and for a moment I could feel warm breath on my face.

"But his eyes are a very interesting hue of blue, almost silver" the honey-toned man commented.

"Neh!" the elementary student exclaimed, "How are your eyes like that? Are they contacts?"

"Of course they aren't" the stoic-voiced man declared, "Coloured contacts are strictly prohibited in school".

"So your eyes are naturally that colour?" two voices asked in unison and two figures leaned forward.

I was processing too much information at this point to form a proper sentence.

"I…"

"Of course!" the regal voice suddenly exclaimed, "Those silver eyes will make a beautiful addition to our club. What is your name, new member?". I stopped, frowning at the figure in front of me, and I simply sighed.

"Kitamura Saito" I replied nonchalantly.

"Perfect!" the voice declared again, "Kitamura-chan, you will be our newest member!"

I frowned in confusion again. What was going on?

"So let me-"

"Excuse me" I finally cut in, "Can you explain to me what is going on?"

There was quite a long period of silence before the figure in front of me straightened to his full height again.

"You have been selected to be a member of the Ouran Host Club, Kitamura-chan" the regal voice stated.

"I believe he means why, Tamaki" the stoic voice stated, and I mentally filed the name 'Tamaki' under the regal voice.

"You should really explain things better, senpai" the two voices said flatly in unison. It was followed by a dramatic sigh.

"Very well then" the voice identified as Tamaki said, "You, Kitamura Saito, have been selected to be part of our Host Club. The Host Club is a system where we cater to the whims of our female guests, where we appease them when they request us. It is a simple give-and-take system of guys who have a lot of time on their hands appeasing girls who have a lot of time on their hands". I noted how the outlined figure, who was probably Tamaki, was folding his arms and standing up straight, probably looking very regal if I could make out any details.

"So…" I began hesitantly, "The Host Club is a club where we cater to the whims of people who request us?"

"Exactly" Tamaki replied calmly.

"Why would I join?" I replied automatically. I could see the figure in front of me twitch slightly, and suddenly a figure was in front of me, and judging by the small stature I gathered from the faint outline I could tell it was the elementary student.

"Because it's fun! We get food and tea and all the cake we want!" he chirped in happiness. I frowned at the small child. I didn't really like tea or cake.

"Also you have access to funding from the club to improve your hosting techniques" the stoic voiced man added.

"What more could you ask for?" the two voices finished in unison.

I could hear a faint scoff in the background, and the six outlines of people before me turned back to the source of the sound.

"Anything you would like to add?" the stoic voice asked.

"No" the girly voice mumbled.

"Good" the stoic voice said, and one of the outlines turned back to me.

"Since you're a new member I will have Hikaru and Kaoru give you a run-down on the club, and then you will be expected to host a sample group of customers" he stated. I just blinked at him.

"Any questions?" he asked curiously.

"Can I know your names first?" I asked. Before I even knew it another faint outline had appeared in front of me, and from what I could tell it was Tamaki.

"Of course" he chirped regally, "I am Tamaki Suou, King of the Host Club" he declared proudly. I just frowned and nodded. Suddenly another two figures were in front of me – Hikaru and Kaoru.

"My name's Hikaru Hitachiin" the first figure stated.

"My name's Kaoru Hitachiin" the second figured stated.

"Nice to meet you" they said in unison, and I blinked at their coordination. They were definitely twins.

"I am Kyouya Ootori" the stoic voice stated, and I glanced up at his faint outline, making eye-contact with where I assumed his eyes were and nodded in acknowledgement. Suddenly a much smaller outline appeared in front of me.

"I'm Mitsukuni Haninozuka" the elementary school kid chirped care freely, "But call me Honey". I simply nodded once.

"Alright, Honey-chan" I replied cooly. Honey suddenly pointed to the outline of the largest person in the room, whom I realised had not spoken once yet. I hadn't even noticed he was there.

"That's Takashi!" Honey exclaimed, "He's a martial arts champion!". I simply looked up to the large outline and nodded once, the outline nodding once in response.

"And that last guy" Kyouya said, and from what I could tell he was gesturing behind him, "Is Haruhi Fujioka".

"Hello" the girly voice stated from behind the group.

"Any more questions?" Tamaki asked when the introductions were finished.

"Just one" I stated, and the tall figure before me nodded.

"What is it?" Hikari and Kaoru asked in unison.

"I basically have to host a group of girls at a table and do what they ask" I stated.

"That's correct" Kyouya said, and I frowned.

"How can I do that when I can't see?" I asked, and as expected there was a long silence over the room, in which the figures before me didn't move. I was accustomed to such shock and it didn't surprise me, and I was waiting for them to make up an excuse to leave like everyone did.

And then suddenly there was a figure right in my face, and I gasped and leaned back in the chair.

"Heh?" he asked curiously, "So you're blind. Then how come you can see us?". I frowned as I realised it was Tamaki in front of me.

"I'm not completely blind" I returned, "I can see faint outlines of people and objects, but nothing more than that".

Again there was another silence, but Tamaki did not move away from my personal space.

"Interesting" he mumbled, "That could be useful to us".

"What?" I asked.

"Hikaru! Kaoru!" Tamaki called, completely ignoring me, "Get Kitamura-chan dressed and prepared! I expect him to be hosting by the time the club opens!"

And suddenly I was lifted off my feet and dragged away, and from over my shoulder I could see the faint outline of the two twins.

"Don't worry" they said in unison, "We'll teach you all about hosting. Tamaki is going to deal with our new dog right now".

I frowned in confusion again. New dog? What was going on? How did this happen? Why did I accept this so casually? Dad had always said I needed to be part of a social club, but at the same time I couldn't help but think…

What did I just get myself into?


	2. Peach Rose

**Woah so many people followed and reviewed my fic already :O I'll try to ignore that fact that half the reviews were corrections of grammar, but aside from that a nice response overall.**

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"Neh, Tamaki-senpai, how can you be so beautiful?" one of the girls asked. Tamaki smiled softy and leaned forward slowly, and the girl gasped and leaned back in slight shock as Tamaki leant forward until their noses practically touched.

"I am beautiful for you and only you" he whispered seductively, and just like that the girl practically melted in joy, whilst the other two girls seated nearby squealed. I simply sighed at the display before me.

The last half an hour had been a total blur. Somehow I had become the new member of the host club, and for reasons beyond me I was forcibly dressed by Hikaru and Kaoru into a proper uniform and a hairstylist was called immediately to give me a haircut, since apparently my current hair was too messy. Then I had been properly introduced to the group, including their – or I should say _our_ – new dog, Haruhi, who had apparently broken an 8 million yen vase and was being forced to work for the Host Club to pay it off.

Poor girl, working for such weirdoes.

In addition to that I had been given a crash-course on what I needed to be a proper host, and after a while I decided that since they already gave me a new uniform and a haircut I might as well humour them, and so I followed their instructions diligently, learning the proper etiquette of how to place a glass on a table with your pinkie as a cushion. Hikaru and Kaoru oversaw my very brief training and told me everything I needed to know, and now to learn further I was watching Tamaki do what was expected of the Host Club, and I was supposed to take notes.

But first of all, let's discuss the fact I was being held against my will watching a guy please hormonal women in the most flirtatious and yet non-sexual way possible. Then there was the fact that I was supposed to be taking _notes_ on this, which in itself sounded fair, but trying to take notes on Tamaki simply flirting with women was plain awkward. Finally there was the fact that Haruhi was being the diligent slave she was apparently assigned to be, carrying things around and helping Kyouya with various tasks involving the club's funds. I couldn't help but feel sorry for her, and as much as I wanted to help I couldn't.

"Kitamura" Tamaki suddenly stated, "Are you taking notes?". I stopped as I realised I hadn't wrote much at all, I could see the ink on the page but that didn't make me any more inclined to take notes on this shameless flirting.

"I'm trying to senpai" I replied calmly, "But it's difficult when you're asking me to take notes on everything and all I can see is your body shape". I noticed how Tamaki leaned forward curiously, and the rest of the girls looked at me – well I think they were – not moving at all.

"How can you take notes anyway?" Tamaki asked curiously. I mentally sighed, keeping my face blank and polite.

"I'm not completely blind, senpai" I repeated, "I can see the ink on a page". Tamaki stopped for a moment, and then from what I could tell he slammed his fist onto his open palm as if he had a brilliant idea.

"That's right" he declared, "You did say that didn't you?". I simply nodded at him.

"Yes I did, senpai" I replied politely.

"Ok then!" he suddenly exclaimed, "You should be ready for your first customers!"

My eyes widened as I stared at his outline incredulously.

"Senpai-"

"Hikaru! Kaoru!" Tamaki called, and suddenly the two familiar outlines appeared next to his own.

"Take Kitamura-chan to his first customers" Tamaki ordered.

"Roger!" the twins said in unison, and before I could formulate a protest I was already lifted off my feet and was being carried away.

"Hikaru! Kaoru!" I exclaimed in protest.

"Don't worry" the two said in unison as they dragged me somewhere, "You'll be fine".

"But I-"

"Here we are!" they exclaimed in unison, and suddenly I was dumped in a chair. It took me a while to get my head straight, but when the monochrome world came back into focus I noticed I was sat at a table, the outlines of a vase with flowers visible, along with tea cups and silverware. There were also three outlines of people sat around the various seats at the table, and from what I could tell they were all women.

It took me a moment for realise that I had been dumped on a table in front of three women who likely had no idea who I was.

"Um…" I began rather lamely, rather unsure what to say.

"Are you Kitamura Saito?" one of the girls asked, and I nodded, remembering the politeness I had been taught just recently.

"That's right, it's nice to meet you all" I responded calmly.

"I heard you're the newest host. Why did you decide to join, Kitamura-san?" another girl asked, and I almost cringed at the thought of being held against my will. If I explained that it would decrease my level of 'appeal', which was another thing the twins taught me.

"I thought it would be an interesting activity" I lied, "Tamaki-senpai recommended me because of my silver eyes, which he said would be a good addition to the club"

"Oh?" one of the girls noticed, "Your eyes are a very beautiful colour. I can see why Tamaki-sama chose you"

Well I certainly didn't, but I didn't say anything.

"Thank you" I replied with a nod of my head, and the outlines before me slackened their shoulders slightly, in what I knew was relaxation. They were comfortable talking to me, which meant I'd made some progress.

"What are your hobbies, Kitamura-san?" one of the girls asked, and I softly smiled.

"I dedicate a lot of my time to my school work, since I hope to achieve the best grade possible here" I stated calmly, relaxing but keeping a firm posture, "In my free time I prefer to read and help out at my father's tea shop when I can". I knew that was a rather limited list, but being almost blind made it difficult to do a lot of things in life, and so could detect the frowns of the girls through their sudden change of posture in their outlines.

"Hm?" one of them asked, "You have a rather simple life Kitamura-san. Do you prefer things that way?". I nodded my head.

"I do. I believe simplicity is the key to success in life, having too much to do at once will only make things harder in the long-run" I said, which was true, since in my case having too much to do would only end in failure, since I couldn't handle most tasks anyway.

"Hmmm" one of them murmured thoughtfully, "What would you say is interesting about yourself, Kitamura-san?". I immediately frowned at the question.

"Did Tamaki-senpai not tell you about me?" I asked curiously, and I could see their outlines shake their heads.

"We were only told you were a new member, Kitamura-san" one of them replied. I looked at the outline of the girl who had spoken for a while and then sighed. Tamaki had obviously done this deliberately for a reason. I suppose if I was going to become a host I would have to deal with this situation often, and so Tamaki must be testing me.

"Well" I began, "Answering your question, an interesting fact about me is that I'm blind. Almost blind, to be exact"

Again there was that shocked silence, in which the three gasped in unison and their posture straightened immediately. I simply sighed inwardly, waiting for their reaction. Would they continue or would they walk away?

"Oh" one of them said after a while, and I held up my hands in a sort of protest, smiling as soft as I could.

"Don't worry about it, a lot of people don't even realise I'm half-blind until I mention it" I explained in an attempt to calm them down, and the girls seemed to relax slightly.

"We're sorry for being insensitive" one of them said quietly.

"It's fine" I returned quickly, "It happens a lot to me so it doesn't bother me anymore". I could immediately see that the girls felt sorry for me from how their shoulders slumped and their heads dipped.

"If you don't mind me asking…" One girl began, and I turned my head to the sound of her voice.

"Yes?" I asked the blurred outline in front of me.

"You said you were half-blind, so what can you see?" she asked, and I felt myself smile softly. Sympathy would increase my appeal, just like the twins had said to me.

"Have you ever been in a dark room with someone, and you're close enough to them to see their body shape but no sort of details?" I asked, and I could see the hesitation in the body languages of the girls.

"No…" one of them said uncertainly, "But I know what you mean".

"That's what I see" I replied automatically, "Everything in the world is black, and I can only see a faint outline, from you, to this table" I said, gesturing to each subject in turn, and then I gestured to the tea cup in front of me, "And this tea cup" I said, and then I picked it up and took a soft sip of it, making sure I did not end up spilling tea on myself in clumsiness. I could tell immediately that that sip of tea had a dramatic effect on the girls by their soft 'hhmmm's of thought. I placed the tea cup back on the saucer, using my pinkie as a cushion and placing the cup softly back down without so much as a sound.

"Is that all you can see?" the girl to my right asked, and I recalled Tamaki's brief demonstration, immediately seeing an opportunity. Uncharacteristically of me I smiled softly, leaning forward and reaching to the outline in front of me, grabbing it by the chin and tilting the girl's head forward, leaning into her until our noses practically touched, and from such a close distance I could make out her eyes.

"Well, from here I can just about make out your eyes" I said quietly and softly, and the girl who was millimetres from my face gave a slight gasp.

"Kitamura-san…" the girl before me whispered in hesitation.

"Please call me Saito" I asked softly, not letting go of her chin or breaking eye-contact with the outline of her own eyes. I knew immediately I had won them over by the two squeals of the other girls at the table, and I could feel the girl's face warming up in my hand.

"O-of course, Saito-kun" the girl practically whispered in shock, and I smiled a soft smile and let go of her and leant back into my chair smoothly, returning to my ramrod straight posture. I noticed then that there was food at the table, including the outline of a slice of cake on a plate, and for a brief moment I had a spark of an idea. I reached for the plate of cake and grabbed it quickly, taking it back and placing it in front of me, reaching for the outline of a fork, picking it up and stabbing the cake, opening my mouth and moving to eat the piece.

And I deliberately missed my mouth and ended up leaving a cake stain on my cheek, and even though it was deliberate I felt myself flush in embarrassment, making the performance better.

"I-I'm sorry about that" I said hesitantly, still feeling the blush on my face, and the girls at the table squealed again. I reached hesitantly for what I assumed what a napkin on the table, but a hand suddenly shot out and the napkin was gone.

"No, please allow me to wipe your face, Kitamura-san" the girl on my left said before I felt a soft touch on my face as the cake stain was wiped off my cheek, and I reached and softly gripped the wrist of the girl, leaning into her enough that I could make out her eyes.

"Thank you" I said softly, and I could feel her wrist heating up in a blush, and so I returned back to my usual posture whilst the other girls quietly gasped in shock. I knew I'd won them over, and for a moment I noticed something out of the corner of my eye, and I half-glanced at the direction, noticing the vaguest outline of two figures from this distance. Their outline from here was so bare I could barely register the people there, but I did notice that the two figures gave me a thumbs-up, and I smiled softly and nodded my head in thanks at the twins before returning my gaze to the girls.

And then suddenly a soft bell rang out, signalling the end of the club, and the girls rose from their seats in unison.

"I enjoyed our time together, Kitamura-san" one of the outlines said, "I'll be sure to request you next time", and with that the three outlines walked away, and after a while I rose from my own seat and watched the multiple identical outlines move out of the door before they shut, and suddenly two familiar outlines were in front of me.

"That was great Kitamura!" Hikaru stated.

"You're a natural at this!" Kaoru exclaimed, and I smiled and nodded my head in thanks.

"Thank you both" I said simply, and suddenly another outline had appeared next to them, who I knew was Tamaki.

"You did well today, that cake on the face was a nice touch" he said, and I smiled rather devilishly.

"Thank you Tamaki-senpai" I said politely.

"Ki-chan!" Honey's voice sounded, and suddenly a little outline appeared in front of the group, the smaller outline of a stuffed toy in his hand. I raised an eyebrow at the outline.

"Ki-chan?" I asked curiously, and the outline nodded.

"That's your new name!" Honey declared, "Since Kitamura is too long". I shook my head slightly in amusement.

"I don't mind it" I replied calmly, and Honey gasped in a sort of happy smile, from what I could tell. I then noticed a figure walking down the room alongside me, and I turned to it, recognizing Haruhi's outline easily.

"You're good at this, Kitamura-san" Haruhi stated, and I nodded in acknowledgement to her.

"Thank you Haruhi" I replied coolly, "But in all honesty I felt that I was perhaps too dramatic there"

"Too dramatic?" I heard Tamaki exclaim, and I turned back to him, "You need to be even more dramatic than that!". He pointed a finger at my face for emphasis, whilst I just blinked confusedly at him.

"The more dramatic you are, the more requests you'll have" Kyouya's voice added calmly, and I turned quickly, noticing that he was standing behind me.

"A-alright…" I said rather uncertainly.

"And now for your official membership" Tamaki said suddenly, his outline appearing in front of me, and I blinked at him.

"What do you mean?" I asked curiously, and if Tamaki was grinning I wasn't sure as he reached into his coat and pulled out an object which I narrowed my eyes at. What was that? It was small, looking kind of like a stick with something on the end, but it looked like a lollipop more than anything. Was Tamaki giving me a lollipop?

"You don't know what this is, do you?" Kyouya asked smoothly, and I simply shook my head, still staring with squinted eyes at the object.

"This is your rose" Tamaki declared, "This will be your symbol and identity as a member of the Host Club".

I simply blinked at him in confusion.

"Allow me to explain" Kyouya intervened, "This club has a mandatory rule of carrying a rose with them at all times, and each member has a different colour to symbolize their personality" I looked at Kyouya's outline in confusion, and he produced a book in his hand suddenly and leafed through it.

"Each club member has a different coloured rose to symbolize them" he explained, "Tamaki's rose, for example, is pure white, which symbolizes innocence". I tried not to scoff at the suggestion, since from what I'd seen Tamaki too cruel and overbearing to be considered innocent. He'd dragged me into this Host Club after all.

"My rose is lavender, which symbolizes wealth and prosperity" Kyouya continued, and I frowned as I tried to mentally file this new information, "Hikaru's rose is light blue, which symbolizes loyalty and protection. Kaoru's rose is orange, a symbol of happiness. Mori's rose is dark blue, which is a symbol of loyalty also, but tranquillity too, and Honey's rose is pink, which symbolizes joy"

I looked at Kyouya for another moment, digesting this new information before turning back to the rose Tamaki was holding in front of me.

"Your rose is peach" Tamaki stated softly, "Which is a symbol of modesty and patience". I blinked at Tamaki for another moment before I hesitantly reached for the rose, taking it carefully and holding it in front of me, running my hands experimentally over the rose, feeling the dense stem and the soft petals of the flower. It was so soft and beautiful, and even though I couldn't see it clearly I felt like it was just beautiful in ways I could not describe.

"Now that you're our newest member" Tamaki said, his outline standing up, "We have class to attend". I simply nodded at him, and noted that the rest of the group were moving to leave, and I followed them, fingering my rose carefully before searching my torso with my free hand until I found the breast pocket on my blazer, and I placed the flower in it carefully, smiling satisfied to myself before moving out of the door.

For some reason it never occurred to me until I was out of the door what exactly I had done by accepting the rose: I was now a full member of the Host Club. It was only my first day too.

I sighed softly as I went my own way down the black and white corridors to class, wondering what exactly I had set myself up for.


	3. The New Host

**Filler chap but whatever. Haruhi becomes a host and irrelevant stuff happens!**

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I sighed to myself as I crossed the third music room in boredom. It was still my first day here and classes had been average, and it was slow at the Host Club, and so I hoped to get something to drink before some customers arrived. After my brief moment of consideration I decided I would stay in the host club a while longer, since I was still undecided on whether I actually enjoyed it. I felt a brief sense of accomplishment at how well I did with my first customers, and suddenly when I came back there was at least seven customers waiting for me, and I knew Tamaki had been involved. Obviously I used the sympathy act, since that was really my only trump card, along with the 'I-can-see-you-clearly-from-here' act, in which I shamelessly spoke millimetres from a customer's face.

Haruhi was being the diligent dog she was, Hikaru and Kaoru were busy playing the 'Which One is Hikaru' game, Kyouya was on his laptop probably attending club funds, Honey was eating cake with Mori diligently watching in complete silence, and Tamaki was just being the shameless host he was specialised to be.

I reached the storage cupboard, moving through the door after shifting my hand around the door and finding the handle, and into the small room, scanning the shelves quickly for something for a snack and drink. I hadn't really eaten much, since I wasn't that hungry at lunch, and I hoped there would be something lying around that I could eat. I scanned the shelves for a while, and then my eyes landed on a round object in one of the cupboards and I reached for it quickly, taking it and running my hands over it. I smiled widely when I realised that what I was holding was an apple. I quickly left the room with my prize, moving back into the main room and almost bumping into a familiar figure, and I stopped and noticed the outline was Haruhi's.

"Sorry about that, Haruhi" I said quickly, and Haruhi shook her head.

"It's fine, Kitamura-san" she replied politely, and I smiled softly, cocking my head at the outline of a bag in her cradled arms.

"What are those?" I asked curiously, and Haruhi looked down at her bag.

"Ah, Tamaki-senpai asked me to go and buy some groceries" she replied and I frowned. Tamaki worked her like a dog, even if she did break an expensive vase, she didn't deserve to be treated like that.

"Alright then" I said instead, not wanting to stir up a commotion, and I walked away, leaving Haruhi to her duties.

"Little piggy" I heard Tamaki call, "Well done on your errand". I felt the need to stop and tell Tamaki that Haruhi was not a pig, but I frowned and brushed off the comment, taking a bite of my new apple and mumbling in satisfaction. Apples were by far my most favourite fruit, since they weren't delicate or easily ruined like strawberries or raspberries, and they were easy to get into, unlike pineapples and coconuts. Apples also had the best flavour for me, a sort of sweet but-not-too-sweet flavour, since I liked bland foods over more tasteful foods.

I stopped and felt someone watching me, and I glanced behind me and noticed an outline was watching me inquisitively, but I knew it was Kyouya by the notebook he was holding.

"Hmmm" he muttered, "You seem to like apples, Kitamura-kun". I simply nodded at him.

"Of course, apples are one of my favourite foods" I stated, and Kyouya suddenly started writing in his notebook. I frowned at him for a moment but decided to carry on walking and leave Kyouya to his business, glancing around the monochrome room in hopes of finding something interesting, but it occurred to me that finding something interesting was practically impossible being half-blind. The customers were really low today, and so most of the Host Club had nothing to do at all. I sighed to myself, taking another bite of my apple.

"Ki-chan!" Honey's voice called, and I looked up and glanced around, not seeing Honey's outline anywhere. Honey was probably out of my small field of vision, maybe on the other side of the room, and so I couldn't see him at all. Suddenly a hand grabbed my arm, and I looked down to see Honey's outline standing there.

"Ki-chan, come sit with us!" Honey exclaimed, dragging me by my sleeve, and I simply allowed it and ate my apple with my free hand as he dragged me across the room, and eventually a table came into the focus of my vision, and I recognized Mori's tall outline in one chair. Honey released me and sat down in a chair, and I smiled softly as I reached for the outline of the spare chair, moving it and taking my place on the seat.

"Ki-chan, try some of this cake!" Honey exclaimed, pushing the outline of a cake on a plate forward, and I smiled apologetically.

"No thank you, Honey-senpai, I don't really like cake" I said politely, and Honey gave a small 'aww' before taking the plate back and eating the cake himself. I simply smiled and took another bite of my apple, which I noted was half-finished. I'd have to find another one later. Honey then sighed softly, and I looked up at his outline curiously.

"What is it, Honey-senpai?" I asked curiously.

"No one's around today" Honey muttered cutely, "All the customers here are with Tama-chan". I half-turned to the table where Tamaki was sat, discussing something with Haruhi while holding a box in his hand, with many girls crowding around them. It wasn't a surprise really, since according to Kyouya, 70% of the customers request Tamaki.

I watched them converse for a while and then turned back to Honey, who was busy eating his slice of cake. Mori wasn't saying anything as usual, sitting there like a statue, occasionally moving to take a sip of his tea. Suddenly there was clapping, and I turned curiously to the sound to see a lot of people standing around Tamaki's table, including Haruhi and the other hosts.

"What are they doing?" I muttered out loud.

"They're trying Haruhi's instant coffee" Mori stated bluntly, and I turned to him sharply. That was the first sentence he had said in front of me.

"Mmmm" Honey muttered, "I've never had instant coffee before. I wonder what it tastes like". I turned back to Honey curiously.

"You've never had instant coffee before?" I asked, and Honey nodded.

"We always have ground coffee beans at home" he stated happily, and I reminded myself the standards of wealth at this school. It seemed me and Haruhi were the only two people who weren't millionaires. The people here were far too rich, though I didn't say anything.

"What kind of place do you live in, Ki-chan?" Honey asked suddenly, and I paused for a moment at his question.

"I live in a rather big house, but the bottom floor is an expensive tea shop run by my parents" I replied, and Honey leaned forward slightly.

"You live in a tea shop?" he asked curiously, and I nodded my head.

"I suppose I do" I agreed, since debating the issue would be meaningless.

"Ohh!" Honey exclaimed, "I wanna go to Ki-chan's tea shop some day!". I smiled softly and held up my hands in protest.

"It's just a tea shop, Honey-senpai. It attracts rich clientele but it's not on the scale of your family's wealth" I explained.

"I still wanna go!" Honey's outline exclaimed stubbornly but somehow cutely, and I sighed.

"Maybe sometime soon" I promised.

"Yay!" Honey cheered, and I smiled softly. Honey was really cute for the oldest member of the Host Club. He was even older than Mori somehow. But then again this club seemed to be full of weirdoes.

I then heard a commotion going on, and I looked up and noticed the faintest outlines of the twins, Haruhi, Tamaki and Kyouya. The twins had their hands on Haruhi's head for some reason, Tamaki was crouched into a ball in the corner of the room in depression and Kyouya was watching in probable amusement, but I couldn't tell.

"I'm sorry" Haruhi apologized, putting a hand on the back of her head, "I was a bit touched". I blinked confusedly as I watched the scene take place. Tamaki stood up slowly, and twirled suddenly, his previous depression gone.

"I see!" he exclaimed, flicking his hand towards Haruhi for emphasis, "Then let me teach you more techniques!". I noticed how Honey and Mori both stood up, probably moving to watch the scene further, and I simply stood up and followed them towards the group.

"...Even if you taught him the basics of being a host…" I heard Hikaru explain. I noticed how they'd called Haruhi a 'he', when she was obviously a girl. Though apparently it wasn't obvious to everyone else, but if Haruhi didn't bother correcting her own gender I saw no reason to do it for her.

"In his case" Kaoru continued, moving around Haruhi, "He doesn't even pass the most basic visual requirement". He moved in front of Haruhi, and he moved to take her glasses.

"Well, for his type" he said as he took her glasses, "Even if you took off the glasses his eyes would only appear sma-". Kaoru stopped, and I frowned curiously.

"Ah wait" Haruhi said in protest, "I lost my contacts on the first day of school". Kaoru didn't even reply, staring at Haruhi completely frozen, and Hikaru moved in front of her, suddenly freezing like a statue too. What was going on? Why were they staring at Haruhi like that? Was there something wrong with her face? I noticed that the rest of the group were also frozen, and I frowned deeper.

Suddenly Tamaki was moving, shoving the twins out of the way immediately to look at Haruhi, gasping at the sight before him. I was now really confused. What was going on? Tamaki suddenly stood straight, held up his arm and snapped his fingers.

"Hikaru. Kaoru" he called, and in an instant they appeared.

"Sir!" they said in unison, taking Haruhi's arms and dragging her away immediately, Haruhi shouting in protest, and they were out of the door in seconds. I just watched in shock. What was going on?

"Kyouya, call the hair designer!" Tamaki ordered, pointing at Kyouya who already had his phone out and was dialling the number.

"Mori-senpai, get some contacts from the nurse!" Tamaki ordered next, pointing at Mori, and in an instant he was off jogging. I was still stood there rather confused at the situation.

"Tama-chan! What about me?" Honey asked, appearing in front of Tamaki's outline.

"Honey-senpai, you…" Tamaki began.

"Yeah?" Honey asked in excitement.

"…Please eat the cakes" Tamaki finished, and I was mixed between laughing and frowning at how Honey slunk away to eat the remaining cake as Tamaki requested.

"Tamaki-senpai" I called when everyone else was missing and Tamaki turned to me.

"Ah, Kitamura-kun" he exclaimed in his honey-laced voice.

"What was that about?" I asked curiously, and I could see Tamaki momentarily frown through his posture.

"Ah that's right" he said after a while, "You didn't see"

"See what?" I asked curiously.

"Haruhi's eyes" Tamaki said simply, and I blinked.

"What?" I asked in confusion.

"You'll see" Tamaki said simply, "Follow me"

* * *

I sat watching Haruhi attend several girls with rather devoid interest, my head resting in my hand. For some reason or another Haruhi was now a member of the Host Club. I still hadn't figured out why, since all Tamaki had told me was 'Haruhi's eyes', so I guessed it meant that Haruhi's eyes had won them over. It made sense, since the only reason I was here was because of my eyes also, so Haruhi must have interesting eyes too, I just hoped she wasn't blind too. Haruhi now had the new deal of handling a hundred customers who requested her, and in exchange she would be free of her debt.

But it was clear she had no idea what to say at all, and I felt a degree of sympathy and understanding for her. It seemed these customers were going with basic questions, and often the basic questions were the most difficult to get right. I didn't need to see to know she was struggling a lot, and even from here I could see her blurred outline shaking like a leaf. Poor girl.

"Ki-chan, you're watching Haru-chan?" Honey asked, his outline suddenly appearing next to me, and I briefly glanced at him.

"That's right, Honey-senpai. I'm curious to how Haruhi will do" I said, watching her carefully.

"He'll do great, I just know it!" Honey exclaimed enthusiastically, and I smiled at his outline.

"Tama-chan is watching Haru-chan too!" Honey stated, looking off in a direction, and I turned to that direction, but at this distance I couldn't see Tamaki.

"Tamaki-senpai is interested too?" I wondered out loud, and Honey turned to me.

"Of course, he's the newest member after all" he exclaimed.

_No one was watching me with my first customers_, I thought to myself, mentally sweat dropping.

"What do you think, Takashi?" Honey asked, turning his head suddenly, and I was surprised to see Mori's outline in one of the chairs. I didn't even notice him sit down, how long had he been there for?

"Haruhi will make a good host" were Mori's only words, and I mentally sighed. Mori was clearly not a talker at all.

"Heh?" Honey asked, "You think so?"

"Ah" Mori replied bluntly, and I smiled amusedly despite myself and turned back to Haruhi's table.

"Haruhi, come here" Tamaki suddenly called, and Haruhi excused herself and stood up, moving towards Tamaki's table, and I turned back to Honey and Mori.

"We still have so little customers" Honey muttered in annoyance, still being cute somehow, and I sighed.

"That's true, the customers seem to reduce in the afternoon" I said, and Honey's outline looked up at me.

"It's not usually like that" Honey stated, "But sometimes they prefer to go out somewhere rather than come here". I nodded, mentally noting to have a snack or a book to read during the afternoons.

I looked up suddenly hearing a shout, and I saw the very blurred outline of someone throwing a large object around, and from the voices I guessed that Tamaki was throwing Haruhi in the air, and I stood up as more of an instinct.

"Mori-senpai!" Haruhi called, "Help me!". In an instant Mori was moving, grabbing Haruhi out of Tamaki's arms and holding her high into the air, and for a moment it seemed as though time froze with Haruhi high in the air in Mori's arms, and I raised an eyebrow. The way Mori was holding Haruhi like that, it almost looked like he…

I smirked, trying not to chuckle at my own lewd thoughts.

"Mori-senpai, you don't need to go that far" Tamaki protested, and Mori put Haruhi back down on the ground and walked back to the table as if nothing had happened.

"Takashi, you're blushing" Honey stated when Mori was sat down, only confirming my lewd thoughts. I tried not to smirk.

Mori simply sat there and said nothing, only making the task more difficult.


	4. Tropical Paradise

**Sorry, but I've been busy with school and my other fic recently, so this chap is soo late. Forgive me /O.O/**

* * *

I stood with the other host club members in the changing rooms of the third music room staring at Haruhi, who instead of wearing her usual host club uniform was wearing the girl's uniform of Ouran High, though I could only tell this because of how Haruhi's outline spread outwards at the waist in the form of a skirt. I had wondered why the members were summoned by Tamaki so suddenly, and so I'd come here simply out of curiosity, bringing my trusty apple with me, and I was rather disappointed, though Tamaki looked stunned. However everyone else wasn't fazed in the slightest, and I knew immediately that everyone else had discovered it over time, I was unsure how but they had, though I knew for a fact that Mori had figured it out because of his… intimate contact with Haruhi. To be honest I was surprised that Tamaki didn't know, since I assumed he knew, after all he was the one was ran the host club, he would at least know the gender of the members he enslaves. Still though, there was one thing bothering me…

…Why did a music room have separate changing rooms?

"Haruhi" Tamaki said, his voice surprisingly devoid of its usual honey-laced tone.

"Yeah?" Haruhi asked innocently.

"You're a girl?" Tamaki asked, and I smiled in half-amusement. Tamaki was clearly still trying to digest this new information.

"Biologically, yeah" Haruhi replied calmly. Tamaki's response was to immediately freak out, rubbing his hair like a mad man and making inaudible noises. I simply raised an eyebrow at his outline, since his reaction was more worrying than amusing.

"I thought it was fine if you senpai took me for a guy" Haruhi explained casually, "It seems like my consciousness for genders is lower than the average person". I frowned, since that didn't really explain anything, but I chose to say nothing, watching the scene next to Hikaru and Kaoru. Tamaki was still freaking out, and even from here I could see the outline of his jaw hanging wide open as he stared at Haruhi, his fingers moving like a maniac, as if he was trying to put together an invisible puzzle.

"It was an interesting turn of events" Kyouya stated with his usual passive tone.

"Yeah" the twins said in agreement, glancing at each other.

"Ah" Haruhi said suddenly to Tamaki, raising a finger for emphasis, "But you were a bit cool back there, senpai". Tamaki gasped suddenly, putting his hand on his face and leaning back slightly, and I raised an eyebrow. I couldn't make out his expression, but his outline suggested that he was blushing.

"Oh!" Haruhi said suddenly, as if coming up with a brilliant idea, smacking her fist on her open hand, "Maybe I should start addressing myself as 'Ore' from now on" she said and giggled at her own suggestion, and I just rolled my eyes, taking a bite of my apple.

* * *

"Welcome"

I blinked. Once, twice, making sure I wasn't seeing and hearing things. I was pretty sure I was not seeing the outlines of large tropical palm trees and flowers, the large birds high in the branches or the geckos below. I was pretty sure I wasn't hearing the sounds of birds calling, animals chirping and soft streaming water, and I was _definitely _sure I was still in Ouran High and not suddenly in a tropical paradise.

"Oh, it's just Kita-chan" Hikaru said in disappointment, and I frowned. This was definitely real.

"What is this?" I asked, looking around me incredulously, not bothering to comment on Hikaru's new nickname for me.

"What does it look like?" Tamaki asked, "It's a Bali-themed paradise!" he exclaimed, flicking his hand into the air dramatically, and I just stared at him blankly.

On the one hand I could turn around and walk away, since it was clear that Tamaki was out of his mind completely re-designing the third music room – and on top of that I could ask an endless list of questions as to _how_ exactly he pulled this off in one night – and I had to question whether it was even _legal_ to turn a classroom into a Bali-themed tropical paradise. On the other hand however, I could simply ignore what was going on around me and focus on what was important – getting requests and appeasing the customers for today. It sort of made sense that Tamaki had changed the theme like this, since I had always wondered how exactly customers never got sick of the same people in the same club, and here was the answer. The theme changed, and I imagined it would change next week too.

I simply sighed after a moment of contemplation.

"What are you wearing?" I asked, noticing that their outlines were different to usual. If I had to guess I'd say they were wearing fewer clothes than the usual uniform. Hikaru and Kaoru were both holding a large parasol, and I was pretty sure they were only wearing long shorts and a headband. Honey and Mori were wearing a similar style to the twins wearing no shirt, long loose shorts and a headband, but I noticed that Honey also had an odd larger necklace around his neck, probably flowers; Mori also had a long scarf going down the left side of his body, reaching his knees. Kyouya also had no shirt, but had bands around his forearms and wore a long kilt rather than shorts, and had a notably large necklace around his neck. Tamaki had the weirdest costume though; he wore a long robe that was altered so it dropped at the side, exposing his right shoulder. He had notably large jewellery on his neck and wrists, and had a long fold of material travelling down one side of his robe, he also carried a fan.

"Ah!" Tamaki exclaimed, standing up from his chair, "We are wearing outfits fitted for our tropical paradise!"

"But it's early April, senpai" I returned inquisitively.

"What does that matter?" Tamaki exclaimed, twirling dramatically and raising his fan, "With our flawless air conditioning, it can be any time of the year we choose!". I simply frowned at him, noting that the room was in fact several degrees warmer than the corridor I had just left. Who was paying for this heating bill anyway?

"Anyway, Kitamura" Kyouya's voice said and his outline stepped forward, "We have prepared a costume for you; it's waiting in the changing rooms". I frowned, since Kyouya's choice of words suggested I didn't have a choice in the matter, and so I simply nodded, moving towards the direction of the changing rooms.

"Ah, Kitamura" Kyouya called suddenly, and I turned to him inquisitively.

"The changing rooms are over there now" Kyouya said, pointing in the opposite direction to where I was walking, "We had to move them to make space for the plants here".

I mentally sweat-dropped at him. Did they seriously knock down and rebuild the changing rooms, and create a tropical paradise in one night? I nodded in understanding, moving in the opposite direction as the rest of the club conversed with each other, and eventually after some wandering – seriously, how big was this jungle? – I eventually found a door, which I opened, and suddenly I was back in Ouran High, in the exact same changing rooms I had been in several times before. It was like opening a door to a different universe, and it felt strange to consider that this school literally had its own jungle. These people were too rich for their own good.

I quickly noticed folded clothing on a chair in the room, and I frowned as I moved towards it and picked it up. There wasn't a shirt, only loose long shorts like the rest of the club were wearing, a thin necklace that looked like a long but thin chain, a metallic bangle and a pair of sandals. I simply sighed loudly, taking the items of clothing without question and moving into one of the booths, removing my uniform and folding it, placing it on the floor before changing into the clothes I'd been given. I looked in the mirror in the booth, contemplating whether or not the outline of myself in the mirror looked too thin or strange. I'd always been rather thin, and so the fact I wasn't wearing a shirt didn't exactly appeal to me, but everyone else was doing it so I supposed it was fine. Eventually I decided that the outline of myself looked presentable, except that didn't really mean anything, and I moved out of the booth with my folded uniform, placing it on the table where the uniforms of the rest of the club rested.

I moved out of the room, almost shuddering at how exposed my chest felt, but I ignored it, moving back towards the host club to find Tamaki masquerading around the outline of Haruhi in her uniform, proclaiming his royal gloriousness as he did, the outlines of the rest of the club watching.

"Ki-chan!" Honey cried, noticing me, and almost instantly his small outline appeared in front of me. I smiled softly as I looked down at the outline. Even if I couldn't see Honey, it was impossible to not smile when he appeared.

"Ah Kitamura, you've appeared" Kyouya stated nonchalantly, and I looked up at his outline and nodded.

"That silver chain matches your eyes very well" he continued, and I frowned, fingering the chain around my neck. The chain I was wearing was silver?

"Ah!" Tamaki proclaimed, his outline suddenly appearing in front of me, "You look like you really are in a tropical paradise, Kitamura-chan!". I simply nodded at him politely.

"Thank you, senpai" I replied, and I felt a tugging on my shorts, and I looked down and noticed Honey was still standing beside me.

"Neh, Ki-chan, you should try some coconut milk!" he exclaimed cutely, and I mentally frowned. This place had coconuts too?

"Alright" I said, and Honey was almost immediately dragging me away from the group. I looked back and noticed Haruhi was arguing with Tamaki about something, probably how he managed to turn this place into a tropical paradise, and I smiled. At least I wasn't the only one who saw the problem with all of this.

* * *

As it turns out, coconut milk tasted very nice, and I smiled in satisfaction as I drank it through a straw in a hollowed out coconut, adding to the Bali-themed effect. Everyone seemed busy with their own customers right now, dressed in their various tropical clothing, although Haruhi flat-out refused to wear the clothing Tamaki had assigned for her, simply attending her customers in her normal uniform, which I didn't really mind as much, since I was rather enjoying dressing up and drinking coconut milk in a tropical paradise. Tamaki had outdone himself, and I had to wonder what next week's theme would be.

_Click!_

I turned to the sound inquisitively, which sounded like a camera shutter, and I frowned as I noticed Kyouya's tall and thin outline standing there holding a device in his hands, which looked like a camera judging by the outline.

"Ah, sorry about that" Kyouya said quickly, "But I'm taking photos for our weekly magazine, and you looked so natural and innocent there". I frowned at him for a moment.

"Weekly magazine?" I asked curiously, and Kyouya's outline nodded.

"Of course, how else can we afford these expensive themes?" he asked, gesturing around him, and I cocked my head at him.

"Is this magazine really so popular?" I asked, and Kyouya's outline nodded.

"We usually sell out immediately" he replied coolly, and I mentally rolled my eyes. This club was entirely about making money off of these hormonal women.

"Anyway" Kyouya said, turning away from me, "I'll leave you to your duties". He walked away slowly, and I frowned at how it was obvious that I had no duties at the moment, since nearly all of the customers were being taken by Tamaki. It wasn't surprising, since it was always like that, but the fact that I was the only host without customers bothered me.

I was still rather unsure about whether I actually liked the host club, but my parents approved of it immediately, since I never had real friends during middle school, so they were both seeking to change that during my time in high school. They didn't really care what kind of club I was in, they were just happy I was in an actual club. At first my parents wanted me to go to a school for disabled children, so I went to one for grade school, and I quickly decided I hated how the students there were treated like they were hospital patients, so I flat-out refused when my parents offered to transfer me into the middle school branch of the academy. I chose to go to a normal school instead, and so my middle school experience was in a normal public school. Though most people didn't talk to me, since I was just 'the blind kid', and I was subjected to a lot of bullying, but anything was better than that demoralizing grade school, and so I put up with it.

The only reason I was in Ouran for high school was because during middle school the tea shop business sky-rocketed as it began to attract wealthy clientele, and so my father could afford to have the whole place re-done to make it look expensive and pristine, and suddenly there was customers out of the door. So my parents could afford for me to go the best school for my education, and so I ended up at this rich-kid school with a scholarship after I took the entrance exam. Though as part of my scholarship I had to take Drama Club as an additional activity, since my drama grades were high and so Ouran decided they wanted to cultivate that. I didn't think I was particularly talented at acting or singing, but most people disagreed, and so I reluctantly accepted the scholarship offer, allowing myself to be dragged into the Drama Club.

The Drama Club was actually pretty normal. I'd expected the students there to be totally flamboyant, but it seemed the discipline that the wealthy placed on their children lasted through even Drama Club, and so they were all polite and smiling, which I supposed made things easier, considering I wasn't exactly flamboyant either. But overall, it was pretty fun, since Drama Club was all about playwriting, singing and acting, which I was pretty good at. Actually, now that I thought about it I had an assignment for Drama Club tomorrow, and I frowned. I'd complete it later tonight, since we were focusing on learning scripts right now.

"Kitamura-san"

I looked up from my musings, noting in that moment I was still drinking my coconut milk from the straw, and I noticed three outlines standing in front of me, their outlines spreading outwards at the waist, suggesting they were wearing skirts. I smiled softly at them, nodding my head in acknowledgement.

"Ah, welcome" I said politely.

"May we sit down?" one of the girls asked, and I nodded my head.

"Of course" I replied calmly, and the girls spread their skirts and sat down carefully, and I sipped some more of my coconut milk, which I noted was near empty. I'd have to get some more later.

"How are you today, Kitamura-san?" one of the girls asked, and I smiled softly at her outline.

"I'm fine, thank you for asking" I replied politely, nodding my head in acknowledgement.

"You look very handsome today, Kitamura-san" another girl commented, and I mentally raised an eyebrow. That was a pretty bold statement, but I brushed it off and smiled softly at her.

"Thank you, but Tamaki-senpai chose the costume" I replied calmly.

"Heh? Tamaki-sama did?" one of the girls asked, and I nodded at her outline.

"That's right; he also chose and oversaw the construction of this Bali-themed jungle" I replied smoothly, and the girls' outlines turned as they viewed the jungle around them, and I imagined how much they could see with their eyes rather than mine.

"It's so beautiful" one of the girls murmured and I nodded in agreement.

"I suppose it is" I said evenly.

"How has your first week of school been, Kitamura-san?" one of the girls asked, and I smiled softly at her outline. They seemed to actually care about me, considering the more personal questions.

"School has been interesting" I stated, "I ended up joining this host club, for example, and so I've had to juggle my time here with drama club as well".

"Eh? You're in the drama club, Kitamura-san?" one of the outlines asked, and I nodded.

"That's right, I got into Ouran on a drama scholarship" I replied, and the girls nodded, and I could somehow tell they were smiling.

"Do you act or sing, Kitamura-san?" another girl asked.

"Both" I replied, scratching the back of my head in embarrassment, "But I'm not that good at it"

"You must be, to get into Ouran" another outline declared, and I smiled softly.

"Thank you for your compliments" I said, and I felt the girls smile warmly.

This conversation was going nowhere, and I restrained a frown as I felt a pair of eyes on my back, which were probably Kyouya's.

"Ah, Kitamura-san" one of the girls said suddenly, "What are you wearing to the Ouran Dance Party?". I blinked at her outline.

"Dance party?" I asked, having no idea what she was talking about.

"Did Tamaki-sama not tell you?" the girl asked, cocking her head curiously, and I shrugged.

"No, Tamaki-senpai expects us to know these things" I replied, and there was a pause.

"Well" the girl began, "next week the Ouran Host Club will be hosting a ball in the main hall, where the hosts dance with any guests that request them" she said, and I hummed thoughtfully.

"There will be lots of food and drink there and I heard there's a special prize for the best female dancer there" another girl added, and I nodded.

"So it will be ballroom dancing?" I asked inquisitively, and the girls nodded.

"That's right" one of them said, and I hummed again in thought.

"Do you know how the ballroom dance, Kitamura-san?" one of the girls asked. I shook my head in response.

"No" I replied, "I've never seen ballroom dancing, the most I've seen is the occasional TV show, and even then it's difficult to tell what they're doing". I could see how the shoulders of the girls slumped, and I allowed it since sympathy would increase my appeal.

"So will Tamaki-sama teach you, Kitamura-san?" one of them asked, and I shrugged in unknowingness.

"Probably, but Tamaki-senpai will probably act all serious about it and make sure I know the steps perfectly" I replied.

This conversation was still getting nowhere, and I mentally sighed in annoyance, and decided to sip the last of my coconut milk rather awkwardly, until I felt a presence behind me and I turned, craning my neck up from where I sat to look up at Mori's tall outline.

"Mori-sama!" the three girls before me chorused.

"Mori-senpai" I greeted with a nod of my head, and Mori nodded back in acknowledgement. Mori simply passed me a round object in his right hand to me, and I took it curiously, realising by the texture it was half of a coconut, and I noticed the straw sticking out of the top, and I looked back up to Mori and smiled softly.

"Thank you, Mori-senpai" I said, and the outline before me nodded again.

"Would you like anything?" he asked, his outline tilting his head upwards, and I guessed he was offering the guests.

"No thank you, Mori-sama" one of the girls said, and none of them added, and so Mori nodded stoically and walked away. I smiled and satisfaction and sipped the coconut milk Mori gave me through the straw, humming in delight at the subtle but sweet taste.

"Hm?" one of the girls muttered, "Kitamura-san, you seem to like that a lot". I looked up at them, still sipping on the coconut milk, and I nodded my head.

"I like the subtle taste of it" I replied nonchalantly.

"Heh? What kinds of foods do you like, Kitamura-san?" one of the outlines asked, and I turned to her.

"My favourite food is apples, and I like foods that include apples. I generally prefer foods with a blander taste" I replied calmly, and I could see how one of the outlines sat a little straighter, and I glanced at her inquisitively.

"Kitamura-san, I could bring some of my family chef's apple pie the next time we visit" she offered, "It's the best pie I've ever tasted and I think you'd love it". I felt myself break into a wide smile and my eyes widened.

"You'd do that?" I asked excitedly, and the outline nodded.

"Of course, Kitamura-san" the girl replied, and I put down my coconut quickly, reaching for her hands quickly and holding them into mine, making sure to move close enough to make out her eyes, so that our noses were practically touching.

"Thank you very much" I said softly, and I could hear her gasp softly, and her hands warmed up in my own from a blush. There was a small squeal from the other two girls, and I smiled in a sense of accomplishment.

For some reason I could still sense Kyouya watching me, and it felt like the watching stare turned into an approving one before the feeling was gone, and I mentally smiled in victory.

* * *

"Ki-chan!"

I looked up from my thoughts, taking a bite of my apple, only to be immediately tackled by the small outline of Honey and I steadied myself as Honey nearly threw me to the ground, holding the apple with one hand and nearly dropping it. The outline of Honey did not appear to care, looking up at me, and from this short distance I could make out the outline of a wide smile on his face.

"Ki-chan! Are you going to prepare for the dance party?" Honey asked excitedly, and I smiled softly at him. No matter what Honey said it was impossible to not smile at him.

"I'll have to" I replied, "I've never learned ballroom dancing before". I could see how Honey's faint smile widened slightly, and I couldn't help but smile softly in return.

"Ah, you'll need a partner for that!" Honey exclaimed, and I cocked my head at him.

"Haru-chan is busy learning ballroom dancing too" Honey explained, "So you can't practice with her"

"Who can I learn ballroom dancing with then?" I asked curiously, and as if summoned by our conversation the outline of Kyouya suddenly appeared next to us, and I took an unconscious bite of my apple.

"A good question" he declared, "Honey-senpai is too small to be your practice partner, Haruhi is busy practicing and the Hitachiin twins are also busy practicing". I frowned at his outline.

"What about Tamaki-senpai?" I asked curiously, and the outline of Kyouya shook his head.

"Tamaki is too busy grovelling to be your partner" he said bluntly, and I blinked, remembering that Tamaki was upset because of the loss of a fan of his. Kasugawa – or something like that, I wasn't sure.

"So the only person left is Mori-senpai" Kyouya stated evenly, and I blinked at him.

_Why don't you just do it?_ I thought, but I didn't say anything.

"Isn't Mori-senpai too tall?" I asked, and Kyouya shook his head.

"Mori-senpai will simply help you learn the steps, which Honey-senpai is ill-equipped for, considering he does not know how to ballroom dance, it doesn't fit his loli-shota type" Kyouya stated, and I frowned.

"What do you mean by that?" I asked curiously, and Kyouya flicked through his notebook.

"Our customers request Honey-senpai because of his elementary school appearance and childish personality, which appeals to them as cute. Rather than teaching Honey-senpai something elegant like ballroom dancing, which would clash with his personality, it is more appealing to the customers if Honey-senpai does as he wishes" he explained, and I simply nodded my head in acceptance. That kind of made sense.

"So" Kyouya continued, "Since your appeal is built around sympathy and your overall modesty, it would add to your appeal to learn ballroom dancing". I simply nodded again at Kyouya's outline, and he closed his notebook.

"Where is Mori-senpai anyway?" Kyouya said, his outlined head looking around, and Honey's smaller outline stepped in.

"Ah, Takashi is in the bathroom!" he declared, and Kyouya's outline nodded.

"Alright then, can you explain things when he gets back, Honey-senpai?" Kyouya asked the smaller outline, and Honey nodded.

"Sure!" he exclaimed cutely, and Kyouya's outline nodded and walked away without another word, and I decided to watch Haruhi practicing ballroom dancing with that girl who had decided she was her favourite. From here I couldn't see much, but I could still make out the outlines of their legs as they stepped in and out in an elegant form. It really wouldn't suit Honey's personality at all.

"Ki-chan!" Honey exclaimed, and I looked down at his outline.

"What is it?" I asked curiously.

"Did Tama-chan mention when the dance party was?" he asked, and I frowned at his outline.

"No he didn't" I said after a while.

"It's going to be the end of this week, right after school!" he declared, and I frowned again.

_I have drama club after school on a Friday_, I noted to myself in annoyance. This would be a problem.

"How long is the dance party for?" I asked inquisitively.

"It's going to be for three hours!" Honey exclaimed excitedly, and I felt a small sense of relief. I'd only miss the first hour in that case, so Kyouya couldn't completely scold me over it.

"Ah, Takashi!" I heard Honey exclaim, and I looked around, my eyes tracing around the room before the faintest outline of a tall person came into view, and as it came closer the outline became clearer, and I knew it was Mori approaching.

"Kyo-chan says you have to help Ki-chan practice ballroom dancing!" Honey declared, and I blinked at his bluntness.

"Ah" Mori simply replied simply, and it shocked me how Mori didn't even hesitate. He stepped closer to me, bowing forward slightly and offering his hand forward, and I blinked before hesitantly placing my hand in his own.

"Shall we begin?" he asked in that monotonous way, and I simply nodded at him.


	5. Ballroom Dancing

**I'M SO SORRY DON'T KILL ME /O.O/** **I know this is incredibly late, but art has been taking over my life and I'm suffering from severe laziness, but it's here guys. Woo.**

* * *

I looked back and forth in strained annoyance as I hurried down the corridors to the third music room. Not only was I late because my drama teacher had decided to give a long lecture about the importance of rehearsals – including a whole monologue and tragic backstory I was in no mood to hear – we had a whole script to learn three days from now, and so I was decidedly annoyed. It wasn't exactly difficult to learn the script, but it was more of a chore to deal with, and I wondered why exactly I was in two clubs. Though I wasn't exactly in the Host Club by choice, since I was forced into it, but I hadn't quit either.

I made a mental note to talk about it to Haruhi later, since she would definitely understand what I meant the most.

The corridors were quiet, since most people were in their own clubs at this time or had free periods, and so I hurried myself as quick as possible without actually rushing, which was a little less than a power walk.

"Hey, you" a voice called, and I stopped and turned, frowning curiously at my surroundings until I noted a door slightly open behind me, and there was the barest outline of a figure in the crack of the door.

"Yes?" I replied curiously, and the form moved forward ever so slightly.

"How would you like to join the Black Magic Club? You could have a free Beelzenef hand puppet" the voice offered, and I noted how husky it sounded. The change of pitch was obviously deliberate, but I chose to say nothing, and why was he offering a hand puppet exactly?

"No thank you" I replied calmly, "I'm already in two clubs"

"Oh?" the husky voice asked, "So you would consider it if you were only in one club?"

I didn't really like what this person was implying, but I nodded my head anyway.

"I suppose" I replied in masked hesitation, and the figure at the door nodded.

"My name is Umehito Nekozawa, president of the Black Magic Club" the voice at the door introduced, and I nodded politely.

"Kitamura Saito" I replied evenly, and the figure nodded.

"I'll wait for your return, Kitamura-kun" he replied, before shutting the door slowly and rather eerily, and I stared at the door for a moment in confusion before reminding myself that I was in a hurry and continued on.

* * *

"Your steps are too wide" Mori said simply, and I frowned as I did my best to make my steps smaller as I danced with Mori, my smaller hands in his larger ones. I had hoped to be Haruhi's partner for ballroom dancing practice, but that girl who had become obsessed with her had shown up, taking Haruhi away without a word, and I doubt Tamaki would have allowed me to even touch Haruhi without his chaperone, so Mori was helping me again, which wasn't much of a problem, since Mori wasn't that much taller than me.

"You're troubled by something, Kitamura" Mori stated bluntly, and I faltered half a step as I attempted to turn with Mori, only confirming his suspicions to my annoyance. Mori didn't say anymore, and I knew he was waiting for me to say something, and so I simply sighed.

"I'm thinking of quitting the Host Club" I said simply, continuing to dance with Mori as I did. Mori did not reply, and from the close distance we were at I could barely make out his eyes, which did not change at my statement.

"I never entered this club voluntarily" I explained as we danced, "I'm not really a good host since I can't keep conversations going for long, and I don't have many requests either". There was a slight pause from Mori, in which we did not break eye contact.

"And what keeps you here?" Mori asked simply, and I smiled softly.

"I like the people here" I replied, "The atmosphere feels like a family, and I'm treated like a normal person"

"I see" Mori replied simply, and I did not continue the conversation, keeping eye contact with Mori as I stepped carefully with him.

"Your steps are too small" he said suddenly, and I frowned in annoyance, trying to correct my steps again. It certainly didn't help that I could barely see my own feet, and so I tried my best to widen the gap slightly.

"You're trying too hard" Mori stated, and I frowned deeper, concentrating as hard as possible. Mori stopped almost immediately, and I stopped with him, frowning at him curiously.

"We're done for today" he said simply, and then turned and walked away, and it felt like he'd just drove a wedge into my spine.

He'd stopped because of my terrible ballroom dancing, the annoying giant!

_Calm down_, I told myself, taking a long sigh to relieve my annoyance, keeping my polite expression in check as I followed Mori out of the door and into the third music room, since it had an adjoining room next to it. It honestly made no sense to me how a music room had separate changing rooms and an adjoining room, on top of the fact that the room was re-designed every week, but in my week of being in the Host Club I had learned it was better not to ask questions.

The door into the third music room opened, and we were greeted by the sounds of chirping birds and the calls of tropical animals, the sudden change in temperature warming but not disturbing.

"This place is _still_ a Bali-themed paradise?" I asked out loud, and as if summoned by my thoughts Kyouya's outline appeared next to me, not surprising me in the least. Mori simply walked away like nothing interesting was happening.

"It will be taken down after school" Kyouya replied simply, "Since the Dance Party is tomorrow"

Damn, that was tomorrow? I hadn't even perfected my ballroom dancing yet!

"I'm guessing you haven't mastered ballroom dancing yet?" Kyouya asked pointedly, and I turned to him in politeness and shook my head.

"I'm sorry, Kyouya-senpai" I apologized, bowing my head in respect.

"Don't worry about it" Kyouya replied, "We can always have a different tutor help if Mori-senpai isn't working with you"

Normally I would say no at this point, though I was rather annoyed at Mori right now, so I simply shook my head.

"You don't need to do that, Kyouya-senpai" I insisted, hoping he would do the opposite, and Kyouya shook his head.

"Mori-senpai is clearly not working for you, so I'll have Haruhi help you instead, since you both can learn together"

Yes! – Wait, that was rude, I shouldn't be happy that Mori was being replaced.

"No!" a voice suddenly shouted, and I almost jumped at how Tamaki's outline appeared right in front of me, suddenly shaking Kyouya like a ragdoll.

"Haruhi cannot be left alone without Father's chaperone!" he declared, still shaking Kyouya, "Imagine all the horrible things that could happen!"

He doesn't trust me at all. That was a second wedge driven into my spine.

"I cannot allow Haruhi to be alone with such an unpredictable cretin!" he cried, pointing at me dramatically, and an imaginary third wedge drove into my spine.

"Tamaki, Kitamura is a member of the Host Club, and I doubt he would ever violate Haruhi" Kyouya said evenly, and Tamaki turned back to him.

"No!" he exclaimed, "I cannot allow this!"

"Tamaki-senpai" came Haruhi's voice, and the three of us turned behind us to see Haruhi's outline standing there with her arms folded.

"But Haruhi~" Tamaki wailed, moving to her in an instant and hugging her protectively, "As your father I cannot allow such a scrupulous man alone with you".

That was the fourth wedge, and I could feel myself twitch.

"Tamaki-senpai…" Haruhi muttered, clearly irritated with his overprotectiveness.

"My lord, if you prefer…" Hikaru began, appearing out of thin air.

"We can help Haruhi practice" Kaoru finished, and Tamaki recoiled as if they exuded poison.

"No!" he exclaimed, "I will not allow either of you near my Haruhi! That would be even worse!"

"Then pick, my lord" the two said in unison, and there was a long pause, in which Tamaki's outline shuddered like a leaf. I mentally sweat-dropped at the sight.

Was I really that unappealing to Tamaki?

"Kitamura!" Tamaki exclaimed suddenly, whirling on me, "If you dare violate Haruhi it will be your life!"

That was the fifth wedge in my spine, and I could feel my self-esteem slowly crumbling into ash.

"You two are both excused from hosting today to work on your dancing" Kyouya intervened smoothly, and we both turned to him questioningly.

"What about Kanako?" Haruhi asked.

So Kanako was the name of the girl who was obsessed with Haruhi…

"She can manage without you Haruhi, but until then, both of you work on your dancing" Kyouya said smoothly, and Haruhi simply sighed, nodding to him and then walking out of the room through the door, and I followed, and the temperature suddenly dropped as we re-entered the normal room and left the Bali-themed paradise.

I had to restrain myself from commenting on how strange this Host Club was, and I instead looked up to Haruhi, who I assume was looking back at me expectantly.

"Kitamura" she said simply, and I cocked my head.

"What is it, Haruhi?" I asked curiously.

"I've always wondered, why are you in this Host Club?" she asked curiously, and for some reason I was caught off-guard by the question. I'd just had this conversation with Mori.

"I know you were forced into it like I was" Haruhi continued, "But you could have quit if you chose to, but you didn't"

"That's right" I replied with a nod of my head, "In fact I was thinking of quitting not long ago". Haruhi cocked her head curiously, not at all fazed by my statement.

"Then why don't you?" she asked, and I frowned.

"When I was first dragged into this Host Club, I thought I should play along" I explained, "They gave me a new uniform, free food and all sorts of things, so I thought I should appreciate their generosity and just go with it, and after a week or so I'd quit"

"But that didn't happen" Haruhi declared, and I shook my head.

"It didn't" I agreed, "After I had my first day of hosting, even though I could do it, I still had all intentions of quitting. Despite the happiness I felt when I finished my first day, I wanted to quit to focus on other things, but for some reason I couldn't bring myself to quit"

"I know what you mean" Haruhi agreed, "I was forced into this too, but the more I think about it the more I like it here". I nodded my head at her.

"Exactly. I like the people here and the atmosphere, and how they treat me normally, and I don't want to leave, but at the same time I don't reap any sort of benefit from it, so there's no point" I said, and Haruhi cocked her head.

"You sounded like Kyouya-senpai there" she noted amusedly, and I blinked in surprise at her response. Haruhi definitely was different to most girls I'd met.

"I suppose I did" I agreed, and I could somehow feel Haruhi smiling.

"Well, I think this Host Club does have benefits to it, we've made some interesting friends" she stated happily, and I paused. That was true, I suppose, I had made rather interesting friends, though I was rather unsure whether they could be classed as 'friends'.

"We should probably practice dancing" Haruhi noted out loud, and I blinked, forgetting entirely what we were doing for a moment before I nodded in response. I moved towards Haruhi, taking her smaller hands and holding them in position, standing centimetres from her so I could make out her eyes somewhat clearly, and in unison we began stepping.

"Neh, Kitamura" Haruhi said as we began, and I blinked at her.

"Yes?" I asked.

"Please don't leave" Haruhi said evenly, "I don't think I could manage with all these rich people around, and you're the only normal one"

For some reason I chuckled at her statement, and I smiled, nodding my head in acknowledgement as we danced.

"Thank you"

* * *

"Kyouya-senpai" I began hesitantly, staring at the wad of paper in my hands, "What is this?"

"Our weekly magazine of course" Kyouya replied evenly, and I blinked. He'd mentioned something like that several days ago.

"It has all of our hosts' photographs during their hosting times and general school lives" Kyouya stated proudly, and I mentally sweat-dropped.

When had Kyouya taken photos of me? I felt violated.

"Oh! That's a nice photo of you, Ki-chan!" Honey exclaimed suddenly, appearing next to me and jabbing his finger on the cover, and I frowned as I scanned the title, which was easy to read because of the large font.

'Two new hosts appear' was the headline, and I frowned.

"Kyouya-senpai, you made me and Haruhi the focus of this magazine?" I asked hesitantly.

"Only this edition" Kyouya returned smoothly, and I turned back to the cover. I could see the photos of two people on the cover, and I narrowed my eyes at the picture Honey had pointed at, bringing the magazine very close to my face so I could make out the details of my own picture.

I'd forgotten what exactly I looked like, so scanning photos like this was one of the ways I remembered, but even so I couldn't see colours either, so the whole thing was black and white.

"What are you doing, Ki-chan?" Honey asked curiously, and I concentrated on my own photo, doing my best to make out the details.

From what I could see, my hair was medium length and rather messy, I had a pointed chin, a small round nose, large eyes and average sized ears. There wasn't much else I could gather from the photo, and I narrowed my eyes even further in an attempt to make out more details.

"Eh? What's Kita-chan doing?" the twins asked in unison.

"Are you self-obsessed like our lord?" Hikaru asked.

"Oi!" I heard a shout in the background, but no one acknowledged it. I put down the magazine and looked up at their outlines apologetically.

"Sorry about that" I apologized, "I'd forgotten what I looked like". There was an expected pause, and then the two leaned forward curiously.

"What do you mean?" they asked in unison, "How can you forget what you look like?"

I didn't respond, simply cocking my head at them and waiting for a moment before the two outlines leaned further forward.

"Oh yeah, I forgot Kita-chan was blind" Hikaru began.

"It's easy to forget" Kaoru agreed, and suddenly another outline appeared in front of me, and I felt a pair of hands grab my shoulders as I was thrust to eye-level with the person.

"Are you saying" Tamaki began, "That you have never seen yourself in a mirror before?" he asked incredulously, and I blinked.

"That's right" I replied, and Tamaki recoiled dramatically as if he was struck by a thunderbolt, giving the equivalent of a mix between a gasp and a wail of pain.

"Tamaki-senpai?" I asked hesitantly. Tamaki's outline – which was currently curled up on the floor – moved like a blur, and before I could react there was a slam and suddenly a flat object was placed in front of me, and I frowned at it curiously. I could see a bare outline in it, and judging by the outline it was my own, so it was a mirror in front of me.

"Look into this mirror and tell me what you see" Tamaki ordered desperately.

"Tamaki-senpai" I asked, "Where did this mirror come from?"

"Never mind that!" Tamaki exclaimed, "Tell me what you see!". I sighed and simply looked at the mirror, and I could feel the stares of the other hosts on my back.

"I see an outline of me" I replied simply, and Tamaki leaned forward.

"What else?" he asked.

"That's it, Tamaki-senpai. I see an outline of me" I responded calmly, and Tamaki gasped, taking a step back, and I frowned at him.

"You…" he began, "You poor soul!" he declared, twirling dramatically, and I raised an eyebrow.

"How can a beautiful member of the Ouran Host Club not know what he looks like? What an awful dilemma you have, Kitamura" he exclaimed, and I frowned. I was aware of that, and Tamaki was not making it any better.

"Neh, Ki-chan!" Honey exclaimed, suddenly appearing next to me and ignoring Tamaki's dramatic declarations, "Do you really not know what you look like?". I nodded my head at him.

"I know my eyes are silver, but all the other details I've sort of forgotten, since I never really ask people what I look like" I explained rather lamely, and there was a long pause before the outlines of the twins appeared in front of me.

"Well, you have coffee brown hair" Hikaru said bluntly, and I blinked at him.

"And you have big eyes like Haruhi" Kaoru continued casually, and I mentally noted this new information.

"By coffee brown, you mean a dark brown?" I asked curiously, and the twins nodded.

"A really dark brown" they said in unison, "Like instant coffee"

Did they seriously just compare me to instant coffee? What was with their obsession with that stuff anyway?

"You're pretty pale too, Ki-chan" Honey added.

"You're also pretty tall for a freshman, only slightly taller than Hikaru and Kaoru" Tamaki added slowly, and I frowned at him.

"I'm not a freshman, Tamaki-senpai" I stated bluntly.

"Eh?" Tamaki uttered, and there was a slight pause.

"That's correct" Kyouya stated, his outline appearing out of nowhere, "Kitamura is in fact a second year in class 2C"

"Seriously? You're a second year?" the twins asked in unison, "You're only slightly taller than us!"

Were they calling me short?

"That's right" I replied calmly.

"So why do you address me and Kyouya as 'senpai' then, if you're in our age group?" Tamaki asked curiously, and I turned to him and slightly bowed my head.

"Because you two are the leaders of the Host Club, so it is respectful to address you above me" I replied respectfully, and there was another pause.

"Kita-chan is too polite" the twins said in unison, and I mentally sweat-dropped.

"Ah, shouldn't we call him Kitamura-senpai now?" Kaoru added, and Hikaru nodded in agreement.

"But Kitamura is too long" he muttered, and I frowned.

"How about…" Kaoru muttered.

"Mura-senpai?" Hikaru suggested, and the two paused, and then slammed their fists on their open hands in the form of an idea.

"Mura-senpai!" they exclaimed in unison, and I mentally sweat-dropped again. My name wasn't that long.

"Well I suppose that's fine" Kyouya stated simply.

"Ki-chan, how come you never told us you're a second year?" Honey asked cutely, and I scratched the back of my head, since in all honesty it had never really occurred to me.

"I thought it was fine if Hikaru, Kaoru and Haruhi didn't address me as 'senpai', since I address Tamaki-senpai and Kyouya-senpai as such" I explained, and there was another long pause.

"Anyway" Kyouya began nonchalantly, "Tomorrow is the Dance Party, and so we need to prepare for that"

"Ah, we need to get fitted for our suits!" the twins declared in unison, and I frowned. Fitted? We were getting suits made for us?

"Our maids will be here soon to measure us" Kaoru declared.

"How is your ballroom dancing going, Kitamura?" Kyouya asked, and I flinched at his question, turning to his outline.

"It could be better, Kyouya-senpai" I admitted lamely.

"Well, you'll just have to keep practicing" Kyouya stated nonchalantly, and I nodded, dimly remembering a problem I needed to discuss.

"By the way, Kyouya-senpai" I began, and the outline of Kyouya's head looked up at me.

"Yes?" he asked.

"I can't be there for the first hour of the Dance Party; I have to be there for Drama Club" I declared, and suddenly the twins appeared in front of me. What was with this club and people teleporting around?

"Since when were you in the Drama Club, Mura-senpai?" they asked in unison, and I opened my mouth to form a reply.

"Kitamura-kun got into Ouran High on a Drama scholarship" Kyouya intervened smoothly, "He received high praise for his acting from the chairman". I stopped and sort of flushed in embarrassment. My acting wasn't that good.

"Really?" Honey asked, "Could you act like Tama-chan?". I frowned at his small outline.

"I don't think I could act like Tamaki-senpai…" I said slowly. I was sure that if I did I would insult Tamaki in some way, and I was trying to be polite.

Suddenly the doors to the Host Club opened, and we looked up curiously to see Haruhi's outline walking in with a shopping bag in her arms, and the twins moved to her in an instant.

"Haurhi, did you get our instant coffee?" they asked in unison, and I could sense Haruhi frowning in annoyance.

"Yes, I got your coffee" she muttered, reaching into the bag and producing a small box, handing it to the twins.

"Thank you!" they said in unison, immediately moving towards the storeroom with their prize. Those two enjoyed instant coffee too much.

"Haru-chan!" Honey said, stepping in front of Haruhi next, "Did you know Ki-chan is a second year?". Haruhi's outline looked up at me sharply, and I frowned. What was so interesting about this anyway?

"Really?" she asked, cocking her head curiously, and I just nodded in response.

"You're pretty short for a second year, Kitamura-senpai" Haruhi stated, and I mentally flinched.

"By the way, Kitamura-senpai" Haruhi began, and I noticed how she was adding 'senpai' to my name now, "I got you an apple". My eyes lit up with delight as she reached into her bag and produced a round object, tossing it to me deftly, and I caught the object and smiled widely at the gift.

"Thank you, Haruhi" I said evenly, taking a quick bite out of the apple and humming in delight. From the taste it was probably a green apple, which was my favourite kind of apple.

"Ki-chan, you must really like apples" Honey stated, and I glanced at him and nodded.

"That's right; they're sweet but not too sweet" I replied, and Honey grabbed my sleeve suddenly.

"Ki-chan, you should try some cake!" he exclaimed, and before I could reply Honey was dragging me away towards a table. I decided I would humour him for now, and I glanced back at the group, noticing that Mori's outline was standing amongst them. I hadn't even noticed he was there.

* * *

I never quite realised how popular the Host Club was until my second day in Drama Club. The first day no one knew who I was, because obviously it was the start of the year, but the next day everyone suddenly knew me as 'the new host', and from then on it was constant whispers from the girls and loving stares. There were few males in the Drama Club, so most of the time it was questions about the Host Club from the women here and the occasional personal question about a host member.

Today was no exception, and trying to sit by myself in the large hall the Drama Club was based in proved impossible, since as soon as I sat down I was bombarded with women asking if they could sit by me, and I found it impossible to refuse them. Damn my over-politeness.

"Kitamura-kun, what kind of cake does Honey-senpai like?"

"Kitamura-kun, what's Haruhi's favourite food?"

"Kitamura-kun, what kind of scent does Tamaki-sama prefer?"

"Kitamura-kun, what theme will you be cosplaying next week?"

"Kitamura-kun, what's Mori-senpai's favourite colour?"

"Kitamura-kun, what kind of tea does Kyouya-senpai prefer?"

"Kitamura-kun, have you ever seen Hikaru and Kaoru-kun share a kiss?"

How on Earth was I supposed to know the answer to half of these questions? More importantly, why would they ask if I'd seen Hikaru and Kaoru kiss? Did they want photos or something? It wasn't like I could answer anyway, since every time I opened my mouth to speak I'd be interrupted by another question, and my over-politeness was preventing me from interrupting them myself.

"Ahem" came a stern voice, and the girls instantly stopped their questions and turned to the outline of the drama teacher Fujimaro-sensei, who was folding his arms, and even though I couldn't make out details I knew he was irritated.

"If you girls have nothing better to do than pester Kitamura-kun, you can get on stage and practice your lines" he said sternly in his low voice, and the girls all stood up in unison and bowed.

"We're sorry, Fujimaro-sensei" they chorused, and all moved away from me and towards the stage in a large group, and I mentally smiled in victory.

"Thank you, Fujimaro-sensei" I said to him, and his outline nodded.

"Let me know if this continues Kitamura-kun, this is Drama Club, but I expect the members here to take it seriously" Fujimaro-sensei said bluntly, and I nodded.

"The members of this club can't be sitting around and doing nothing when there is work to be done" Fujimaro-sensei declared, and I nodded again. There was a long pause, in which Fujimaro-sensei did not move, and I sat there rather awkwardly.

"Kitamura"

"Yes, sensei?" I replied.

"You're sitting around doing nothing" he stated, and I blinked.

_Oh._

I immediately felt stupid, and I stood up quickly.

"I am sorry, Fujimaro-sensei" I apologized, bowing my head in respect before moving quickly towards the stage.

"Alright, pair up everyone!" Fujimaro-sensei bellowed from behind me as I walked to the stage, "We're doing group performances today!"

I hadn't even reached the stage before I was surrounded by girls.

"Kitamura-kun, will you be my partner?"

"We should pair up, Kitamura-kun"

"No we should pair up! We both have brilliant acting, Kitamura-kun"

"…Kitamura-kun…"

"…Kitamura-kun…"

"…Kitamura-kun…"

"Kitamura, you're paired up with Jukodo" Fujimaro-sensei called from the chairs, and the girls turned and gave a general cry of protest before – I think so – Fujimaro-sensei glared at them and they quickly scurried away to form their own groups, and I gave a small sigh of relief. Then I felt a hand on my shoulder, and I turned, looking into the vague outline of small eyes belonging to my partner.

"Let's do well together, Kita-chan" he said happily, and I noted how light his voice sounded, so he was probably a freshman, but he was the same height as me. I smiled softly, not making a comment on the name and simply nodding. From his outline I could tell he had short hair that quite spiky like Mori's, he also had a pointed nose and small lips.

"I look forward to working with you, Jukodo-san" I replied, and his outline shook his head.

"Call me Ju" he requested, and I nodded my head.

"Of course, Ju-san" I replied, and Jukodo sighed, shaking his head, and I frowned at him.

"You're way too polite" he stated amusedly, and for some reason I smiled amusedly. I'd heard that a lot today. Fujimaro-sensei had moved onto the stage by this point, and I could feel his glare on my back.

"Kitamura and Jukodo" Fujimaro-sensei called, and we both turned to him in an instant.

"Take a slip" he offered, producing a hat, and I turned to Jukodo hesitantly, who nodded in understanding and moved forward, reaching into the hat and extracting a slip of paper, opening it and reading it before showing it to Fujimaro-sensei.

"Congratulations!" he exclaimed, and I immediately knew whatever Jukodo had chosen was bad, "Here's your script" he said, somehow producing a script in his hand and handing it to Jukodo, who took it and walked back to me.

"It's not very big" I noted, and Jukodo stared at it.

"Fujimaro-sensei sounded happy" he noted.

"That means bad things" I added, and we both stared at the script.

"You can read it, Kita-chan" Jukodo stated, handing the script to me, and I frowned but took it, turning the first page and scanned it.

_**ROMEO: He jests at scars that never felt a wound. But soft, what light through yonder window breaks? It is the east and Juliet is the sun. Arise, fair sun, and kill the envious moon. It is my lady, O, it is my love. She speaks to the fairest stars in all the heaven. See how she leans her cheek upon her hand? O, that I were a glove upon that hand, that I might touch that cheek.**_

_**JULIET: Ay, me.**_

_**ROMEO: She speaks. O, speak again, bright angel.**_

_**JULET: O Romeo, Romeo, why art thou called Romeo? Deny thy father and refuse thy name, or if thou wilt not, be but sworn my love, and I'll no longer be a Capulet.**_

_**ROMEO: (Aside) Shall I hear more, or shall I speak at this?**_

_**JULIET: 'Tis but thy name that is my enemy. O, be some other name! What's in a name? That which we call a rose by any other name would smell as sweet. Romeo, doff thy name, and for thy name, which is no part of thee, take all myself.**_

_**ROMEO: I take thee at thy word. Call me but love, and I'll be new baptized. Henceforth, I never will be Romeo.**_

_**JULIET: What man stumblest on my musings?**_

_**ROMEO: I know not how to tell thee who I am, because it is an enemy to thee.**_

_**JULIET: Art thou not Romeo, and a Montague?**_

_**ROMEO: Neither, fair maid, if either thee dislike.**_

_**JULIET: How camest thou here? The orchard walls are high and hard to climb, and the place death, if any of my kinsmen find thee here.**_

_**ROMEO: With love's light wings did I climb these walls, for stony limits cannot hold love out. Thy kinsmen are no stop to me.**_

_**JULIET: If they do see thee, they will murder thee.**_

_**ROMEO: Alack, there lies more peril in thine eye than twenty of their swords. Look but sweet, and I am proof against their hostility.**_

_**JULIET: I would not for the world they saw thee here.**_

_**ROMEO: I have night's cloak to hide me from their eyes.**_

_**JULIET: Dost thou love me? If thou wilt say 'Ay', I will take thy word.**_

_**ROMEO: Lady, by yonder blessed moon I vow.**_

_**JULIET: O, swear not by the moon, the inconstant moon.**_

_**ROMEO: What shall I swear by?**_

_**JULIET: Do not swear at all, and I'll believe thee.**_

_**ROMEO: By my heart's true love.**_

_**JULIET: Good night, good night. A sweet repose and rest.**_

"Kita-chan, you look pale"

"Romeo and Juliet" I stated simply, still staring at the script.

"What?" Jukodo asked.

"Romeo and Juliet. We are performing Romeo and Juliet" I stated bluntly, looking up to Jukodo's outline, and a very long pause passed between us.

"I'm playing Romeo!" Jukodo exclaimed suddenly, and I frowned. I really wanted to protest and scream about how mortifying it would be to play Juliet, but that would only cause a commotion, and I had to be polite.

"Fine" I said reluctantly, and I could just _feel_ Jukodo's amused smile.


	6. Dance Party

**Ugh this has no plot. I need to write more plot.**

* * *

The shrill beep of an alarm sounded, and I opened my eyes quickly, automatically sitting up and pressing the button on the alarm clock, silencing it as I stretched my arms over my head nonchalantly. My vision was greeted with the usual monochrome setting of my room, and I swung myself over the edge of the bed and stepped onto the floor.

My room was rather basic, completely black and white – and I didn't mean in my eyes – the room was completely black and white colours. The whole point of the colour scheme was to improve my eyesight, since I could see things easier in higher contrast; it was how I was able to see the black ink on a white page. I had a simple desk and chair next to my bed, a small glass wardrobe with sliding doors, a simple leather arm chair in one corner, a white sheepskin rug on the floor and a 60 gallon tank in another corner of the room supported on a small table, where Sanda-chan lived.

I was only wearing long pyjama trousers and no shirt, and I simply moved to the window next to my bed and opened the curtains, the harsh light not disturbing my damaged eyes at all. I turned and moved to the door, picking the simple grey bathrobe hanging on it and putting it on, wrapping the cord around my waist before opening the door and entering the hallway smoothly. My room was at the end of the hallway, my parents' room at the other end of the hallway with the bathroom, and my older sister's room next door to mine, with the stairs in the middle of the hallway. I moved into the bathroom quickly, hearing the sounds of footsteps downstairs. The bathroom was a simple tiled floor and walled room with a single window, a sink, toilet and shower. I locked the door and slipped off the bathrobe absently.

I quickly showered and dried myself, slipping my pyjama trousers back on tying my bathrobe, leaving the room and moving back into my own room through the hallway. I slipped off my robe again and pyjama trousers, quickly putting on a pair of boxers along with my uniform quickly, knowing that breakfast would be ready shortly. I put on my Ouran blazer, glancing at myself in the door of my glass wardrobe and cocking my head at the blurred outline of my reflection. My hair looked vaguely presentable, even if I'd only dried it, there was no point doing any more with it.

I left my room again, moving to the stairs and walking calmly down, immediately entering the living room at the back of the tea shop, and I simply turned into the kitchen. My parents and older sister were all there, eating their own food in a paced manner, and I unconsciously smiled softly.

"Saito, your food will get cold" my mother said quickly, and I nodded to her, moving to the table they were sat at and pulling up a chair, sitting down quickly and noting the outline of the food on the plate was visible. If I had to guess it was a bowl of steamed rice with chunks of vegetables, and I simply picked up the spoon and scooped the rice, popping it into my mouth.

The silence in the room, barely filled with the sounds of eating was a regular occurrence, since none of us were good at small talk, and so we simply ate in a comfortable silence.

"Yumi" my father said after a while, and I looked up curiously as my older sister turned her head towards him.

"You're bringing your boyfriend over from college tonight, yes?" he asked.

"That's right" Yumi replied calmly, "He's staying for dinner". I dimly remembered in the back of my mind Yumi saying that. Yumi was a freshman in college right now study classical literature, and from what I knew her boyfriend took modern history.

"That'll be nice, you talk about him a lot" my mother replied calmly.

"I won't be home until much later, mother" I intervened smoothly, since it was the Ouran Dance Party tonight, and the three heads turned to me curiously.

"Ah yes, you mentioned about a club activity" my father declared, and I nodded.

"It will be for three hours, father" I stated, and the man nodded.

"Good, it will be nice for you to make friends, Saito" he stated, and I ignored the fact he was implying I had no friends before. It was true, but he didn't need to put it out there, and I absently scooped some rice and popped it into my mouth.

"Aw, Saito" Yumi complained, "You'll miss dinner with Sakurai". I quickly swallowed my rice and ever so slightly inclined my head.

"I'm sorry, Yumi-neesan" I apologized, and Yumi sighed lowly.

"I keep telling you Saito, you don't need to be so formal with me" she scolded, and I frowned ever so slightly.

"I apologize, Yumi-neesan" I said out of reflex, only realising I'd completely defied her wish after I had said it, and Yumi simply sighed in defeat.

"Sakurai can meet you later" she said simply, and I said nothing, nodding my head in response. It wasn't that I didn't want to meet her boyfriend, but it wasn't exactly appealing to me either. I finished my breakfast, and I stood up, my family following after, and we moved and placed our bowls on the counter, and I moved to the freezer next to counter, opening the bottom door and opening the top drawer, taking the large ice cube tray placed there and carrying it out of the kitchen. I calmly moved back up the stairs and into my room with the ice cube tray and towards the 60 gallon tank where Sanda-chan lived.

"Sanda-chan" I called calmly, and as expected there was a low hiss and Sanda-chan slithered out of her hollow stump in the tank and into the light, where I could see her clearly. Sanda-chan was my pet king snake, only three foot long, still growing, and she had black and white scales in stripes like a zebra, and the black and white contrast made her clear to my misty eyes.

"How are you today, Sanda-chan?" I asked lightly, and the snake hissed ever so softly in return, and I smiled as I opened the lid of the tank, lowering my arm into the tank and offering my flat right hand for Sanda-chan, and she climbed onto my hand simply and coiled herself around my wrist as she climbed up my arm, and I smiled as she did. Sanda-chan had a habit of climbing up people's arms until she was at their shoulders, and to most people they would think Sanda-chan was going to bite their neck or strangle them, but I had owned her for four years, and I knew that she wouldn't harm me. Sanda-chan eventually reached my shoulder and hissed softly again, and I stroked her small head with the back of my hand. The first rule of handling a snake was to never offer a finger, but instead your whole hand. If you offered a finger they might see it as a small insect or rodent and would try to bite it. I gently stroked Sanda-chan's head for a moment longer before moving my hand down to stroke her flanks absently, unconcerned at how close the snake was to my face.

Eventually I decided I'd handled her long enough, and I softly grabbed her tail, uncoiling her from my forearm and allowing her to rest on my hand, placing her back in her heated tank. I then turned to the ice cube tray and popped out one ice cube – I think it was frozen rat, or rabbit, not sure – and dropped it into the sand-layered tank. The ice cube would quickly melt leaving the innards for Sanda-chan to eat, and so I nodded to myself, reaching into her tank and taking the bowl of water, closing the lid of the tank and carrying that and the ice cube tray back downstairs. I quickly moved to the kitchen and put the large ice cube tray back and emptied the water into the sink, refilling the bowl and moving back upstairs, reaching Sanda-chan's tank and placing the water bowl back before closing the lid of the tank.

All I had to do was brush my teeth and then I could gather my bag and leave, and so I calmly moved to finish my morning chores.

* * *

The Host Club was closed today in order to prepare for the Dance Party later tonight, and I supressed a sigh as I waited with the other hosts for Hikaru and Kaoru's maids to arrive with our tailor-made suits. Apparently their mother was a famous fashion designer and enjoyed making clothes whenever she could in between her busy schedule, and she'd somehow found time to make suits for all of us after we were measured. I'd have to extend my thanks to their mother for this, since I never expected her to be making our suits. I didn't need to know the mistress of the Hitachiin family to know she was a busy woman. I made a mental note of this as I read the novel I had picked up from the library on the way here.

"Neh, Ki-chan" Honey said suddenly, and I looked up at his small outline curiously.

"What is it, Honey-senpai?" I asked.

"Can we go to your tea shop after the Dance Party?" he asked cutely, and I blinked. I'd forgotten about my promise to take Honey there one day.

"I'm sorry, Honey-senpai" I apologized, "We have a guest over tonight"

"Aww" Honey whined, and I had half a mind to withdraw that statement because of how cute he sounded, "But I wanted to go tonight"

"There is plenty of time, Mitsukuni" Mori said simply, and I blinked. That was probably the longest sentence he had said in front of me. I looked back down at my book and smiled unconsciously. Honey could just make people smile no matter what he said.

"Mura-senpai" the twins asked in unison, and I looked up again and blinked.

"How can you read that book?" they asked, and I restrained a frown.

"I'm not completely blind" I reminded, "I can see the ink on a page"

"But Mura-senpai, how does that make any sense?" Kaoru began.

"You can read a book but not see your own reflection?" Hikaru finished, and I cocked my head. Was it really so mysterious?

"I believe it is down to the colour of objects" Kyouya intervened before I could reply, and I frowned.

"What do you mean, Kyouya-senpai?" Haruhi asked curiously, and Kyouya instantly produced his notebook, and I watched curiously.

"If I'm correct, the visibility of Kitamura-kun's vision is based on colour. The reason he can read that book is because of how the black ink stands out on the white paper, so it is more visible than if the paper was darker, but even then he has to hold the book closer to his face than the average person. This is why he cannot make out the details of people unless he is close to them, because the colours of the clothes we wear and our skin do not contrast as much as ink on a paper would" he stated, and then shut his book rather dramatically, and I mentally sweat-dropped. The accuracy of his statement was rather creepy.

"Anything to add, Kitamura-kun?" Kyouya asked, turning to me, and I mentally sighed as the other hosts also turned to me.

"Black and white are the only colours I can see clearly" I added.

"Does that mean if I wore a black suit you could see me?" Honey asked cutely, and I shook my head at him.

"It doesn't work like that, Honey-senpai. I would be able to tell you were wearing a black suit, but that wouldn't make your details any clearer" he responded, and Honey gave a small 'aww' in response.

"So how could we make ourselves clearer?" Kaoru asked curiously, and I turned to him and frowned.

"There isn't any real way, Kaoru-san" I responded, "Other than being close enough to make out details". There was a brief pause, and the two cocked their heads curiously.

"Kaoru-san?" they echoed in unison, and I blinked.

"Do you not like the name?" I asked curiously, and the twins paused.

"I think they mean that you don't need to address them with '-san', Kitamura-senpai" Haurhi intervened, and I frowned at her.

"But that is the proper way to address them" I said hesitantly, and I heard the twins sigh.

"You said people had to be close to you to make out details" Hikaru said suddenly, and I looked up at him curiously.

"That's right, Hikaru-san" I responded, and Hikaru turned to Kaoru and they shared a brief moment of a glance before the two stood up from their chair and moved around the table, and I frowned as they walked towards me, only stopping right in front of me. Hikaru leaned forward until he was centimetres in front of me, and he grabbed my chin lightly.

"How about here?" he asked seductively, and I frowned, leaning forward ever so slightly until our noses were practically touching.

"I can see your face here, Hikaru-san" I replied calmly, and I could hear a slight splutter in the background, but I ignored it, focusing on Hikaru's face. For some reason he looked surprised, but I focused on his features. Hikaru had rather pale skin, a small mouth and nose, a thin face and somewhat large eyes. His hair was also quite messy and parted to the left.

"Kitamura, what are you doing!?" Tamaki demanded, and I stopped and turned to him curiously.

"You're not supposed to be seduced by Hikaru!" he exclaimed.

_What?_

"What do you mean, Tamaki-senpai?" I asked curiously, and Hikaru who was next to me sighed and stood up, and I turned to him in confusion.

"You were supposed to be embarrassed" he stated in annoyance, and I blinked.

"Why would I be embarrassed, Hikaru-san?" I asked curiously, and Hikaru's shoulders slumped.

"You really don't get it, do you?" he asked, and I frowned. Get what?

"Ki-chan is pretty dense" Honey stated with a mouthful of cake, and I blinked again in surprise. What were they talking about?

Suddenly there was a knock at the door, and we all turned to the door curiously.

"Hitachiin-sama?" I heard two girly voices say in unison from the door.

"Come in" the twins chorused, and the door opened, and in the doorway stood two outlines, who I assumed were both women. Their outline spread below the waist in the form of short skirts and their hair was styled long, but I couldn't make out any other details.

"Do you have our suits?" the twins asked in unison, and the two maids nodded.

"We'll bring them in now" the responded in unison, and I blinked. Were they twins as well? The two outlines disappeared behind the door, and a moment later they reappeared dragging a large metal rack, with large bags hanging from hangers on it, and I assumed our suits were in those bags.

"Perfect" Kyouya declared, standing up from his seat, "I will transfer the money to the Hitachiin's bank account immediately". The maids stopped, placing the rack by the door and shook their heads.

"Lady Hitachiin has designed these for you for free" the two maids replied in unison, and I blinked in surprise. I didn't expect such a busy woman to make our suits for free.

"There is no need for that" Kyouya insisted, "I can transfer the money now if you wish", to which the two maids shook their heads again.

"Lady Hitachiin told us to make sure she would not receive any money for these" they said simply, and Kyouya sighed.

"If she insists…" Kyouya relented, and the maids nodded.

"We must make sure these suits fit first" they chorused, and they moved to the rack and took two suits.

"Hikaru-sama and Kaoru-sama, please come with us" they said.

"K" the two replied in unison, following after the maids to the changing rooms and I frowned.

"You seem surprised, Kitamura" Tamaki noted in interest, and I turned to his outline and nodded my head.

"It's surprising that the twins have maids who are also twins" I stated, and Kyouya's outline nodded.

"From what I heard Lady Hitachiin hired them because they'd be able to understand Hikaru and Kaoru the best" he stated calmly, and I frowned.

"Those two maids do seem like Hikaru and Kaoru" Haruhi noted out loud.

"Only because they speak in unison like the twins, but in all other aspects they're completely opposite" Kyouya returned, and I had to agree with him. Those two maids seemed nothing like Hikaru and Kaoru.

"That's not important" Tamaki said, standing up quickly, and I decided in that moment that I wasn't going to be reading any more of my novel, and so I shut it calmly, making a mental note to finish it later.

"We must discuss our plans to help Kasuga and her fiancée get together!" he exclaimed, and I frowned. We were going over this again?

"Tamaki-senpai, we already know what we're going to do" Haruhi muttered, but Tamaki was not even fazed, flicking his arm dramatically and pointing to Haruhi.

"Haruhi, you will play the centrepiece in this plan. You must leave as soon as Kasuga arrives, put on more girlish clothes-"

"I know, I know" Haruhi protested, "I'll go to the designated classroom and bring out his feelings, and then he'll confess to Kasuga and everything will be better".

Haruhi was acting so casual about this, but I for one felt conflicted about how we were manipulating their emotions, even if it was for the girl's happiness.

"That's right!" Tamaki exclaimed, "You can't mess this up, Haruhi!"

"Tama-chan" Honey said suddenly, "You should have more faith in Haru-chan". Tamaki flinched at his comment, and then turned to Honey.

"Honey-senpai! Of course I have faith in Haruhi, she will perform her best!" he exclaimed, and Honey cocked his head slightly.

"Tama-chan is worried for Kasuga-chan" he stated.

"Ah" Mori agreed.

* * *

I was the last person to try on their suit, and after putting it on I scanned myself in the mirror, cocking my head curiously. The suit fit perfectly, like a second skin, though I wasn't surprised since it was tailor-made by a world-famous fashion designer. It was also really comfortable, and brushing my sleeve I was sure the material was silk, or some other expensive material. I was pretty sure the suit was grey, judging by the colour, by then again since I was colour blind it could be any colour. There was a crisp white shirt with it and a simple black tie, and the maids handed me a pair of leather shoes, which I imagined were also grey. So as I scanned myself in the mirror, I was entirely one shade except the shirt and tie. I didn't mind it, and frankly I'd prefer if I was all the same colour, it made things subtler.

"Are you done?" the maids chorused from outside the dressing room, and I moved to the curtain and slid it across, giving the outlines of the two maids a good look of me. They both stood there for a moment, cocking their heads, before they moved forward in unison, and suddenly my suit was being straightened out and my hair was being arranged for me.

"It's folded at the elbows" one of the maids said as she straightened out the creases, and I felt kind of awkward.

"Your hair is also a mess" the other maid commented. I felt myself frown in annoyance.

"I'm sorry" I apologized, and the two maids did not even glance at me, too busy fixing my suit and hair.

"It is alright, we are aware of your poor eyesight" they said in unison, and I paused for a moment. They didn't really need to say any more than that.

"Thank you" I said after a while, and the two seemed done arranging my suit and hair and stepped back.

"It fits you well" they said in unison.

"Thank you" I repeated, and at that moment there was a knock at the door. I turned to it curiously, and a moment later the door opened and a small head popped through, and I knew it was Honey at the door.

"Ki-chan, there's someone here to see you!" he exclaimed, and I frowned. Someone was here to see me? Was it a teacher? But then Honey wouldn't address them as 'someone'. I nodded my head in understanding, moving to the door as Honey disappeared out the door, the two maids behind me not protesting. I opened it back into the third music room, and from this distance I could see blurred outlines, but I couldn't make out who was who.

"There you are, Kita-chan" a voice declared, and I recognized that voice.

"Jukodo-san?" I asked curiously, and one of the outlines nodded and walked towards me, and as he got closer I recognized more of his outline and confirmed that it was Jukodo.

"I told you to call me Ju" he said irritably, and I blinked, remembering his words.

"I apologize, Ju-san" I said quickly, and I heard him sigh loudly. Why was he sighing?

"You look good in that suit" he commented, and I nodded my head.

"Thank you, Ju-san" I said, and Jukodo's outline cocked his head at me. I could somehow sense him smiling, or maybe he was smirking?

"Jukodo Ishimura" Kyouya said suddenly, and the two of us turned to him with a raised eyebrow.

"First year in class 1C, part of the Drama Club with Kitamura. The Jukodo family is responsible for the growing and selling of high-quality produce, owning farms in almost every major country in the world. Their company is also noted as one of the best producing farming companies in Japan. Jukodo-san is the direct heir of the company, being the eldest-born". Kyouya finished his speech by shutting his notebook rather dramatically, and I just frowned.

"If I'm correct we ordered new produce from your company yesterday" Kyouya stated, and I could imagine Jukodo blinking in surprise.

"I wouldn't know" he said after a while, "I help manage the company, but just projections and forecasts, I don't handle the orders"

"Of course" Kyouya returned, "But please make sure our order arrives soon, we have almost completely run out of apples"

My eyes glinted suddenly as my head snapped to Jukodo, who didn't even notice my gaze. Jukodo's family grew apples? The best-quality apples in Japan?

"So, what is it that you wanted, Jukodo-san?" Kyouya asked curiously, and Jukodo turned back to me, fishing into his pocket and producing some folded papers in his hand.

"Fujimaro-sensei wanted me to give you the handouts for the club, since you'll be missing the after-school session" he stated, and I blinked. What did he mean? I was missing today's session?

"Oh, I forgot to mention to you Kitamura-kun" Kyouya stated, and I turned to him curiously.

"I talked to your drama teacher and negotiated with him for you to miss your club activity for the Dance Party" he declared.

_Negotiated._ I didn't like the way that rolled off his tongue.

"Alright then, Kyouya-senpai" I said simply, taking the papers in Jukodo's hands and placing them in the pockets of my suit.

"Well, I've got to go" Jukodo said, turning back to me and waving as he walked away.

"See you later, _Juliet_" he called over his shoulder, and I felt myself twitch. He just _had_ to bring that up. There was a long pause that lasted until the door shut, and then the hosts turned to me curiously.

"Juliet?" the twins chorused, and I restrained a frown. I had half a mind to tell them not to remind me, but that would be rude.

My instincts were also screaming at me to get revenge on Jukodo for this, but again, that would be rude, so I shoved the growing demand for blood down my throat and sighed lowly.

"It's not important" I muttered.

* * *

"To all the little lambs who have gathered here to the Ouran Host Club Dance Party…"

"Welcome" Tamaki said smoothly, and on cue I bowed in unison with the other hosts. Suddenly the large hall was lit up by chandeliers and the outlines in the hall suddenly became sharper to my vision, but still blurring together at the distance I was stood. There were possibly hundreds of women, all of their outlines stood around and staring up at us, and I felt myself grow slightly anxious at the amount of people that were here. The orchestra that had arrived an hour ago began to play, and in unison the girls began clapping.

I tried not to squirm in anxiety, keeping my face and posture firm. Being good at acting was very useful for this. In unison I straightened from my bow with the hosts, and now that I had a proper view of the hall I could see how large it was. I couldn't even see the end of it, looking like it went on forever, an endless sea of people and outlines.

"We wish for you to enjoy this dance with all of our host club members" Kyouya began loudly, and I bit my lip.

"Also, to the lady who displays the best dance, and is chosen as the queen tonight, you shall receive a warm kiss on your cheek from our king" Kyouya declared. I restrained a frown at the suggestion. How was that good motivation?

"Do you best, baby" Tamaki said simply, his romantic mode on full power, and just like that the girls before me squealed loudly in unison, and several even fainted. Apparently a kiss from Tamaki was more than enough motivation.

"Haruhi, you don't look too enthusiastic" I heard the twins say in unison, and I turned to them curiously, noting how slumped Haruhi's shoulders were. She was probably just as confused as I was.

"I'm not used to these events" Haruhi explained above the still-squealing women, "As far as dance parties are concerned, I've only been to the bon-odori in the neighbourhood". I was in the same position as her, and I smiled amusedly, deciding to not add anything.

"I probably wouldn't call that a dance party" Kyouya said, and I turned to him and raised an eyebrow as his notebook was suddenly in his hand. Where had he got that from?

"Well" Kyouya continued, "At least have a taste of the food here. It'll be a treat"

"A treat?" Haruhi said after a while, "Like ootoro?"

I simply raised an eyebrow, but Kyouya suddenly gripped his pen so hard it snapped in two, and for some reason they all recoiled as if struck like a lightning bolt.

"Ootoro?" Tamaki echoed in shock, and I looked up at him on the platform above as he grabbed the railings and did a graceful flip over it and landed perfectly on his feet. I was impressed, since when was Tamaki an acrobat? He suddenly whirled on Kyouya, dramatically pointing a finger, and I frowned. What was everyone so surprised about?

"Get us some ootoro immediately!" Tamaki ordered, and Kyouya produced his phone and dialled a number.

"I'll throw in some premium sushi platters with that" Kyouya muttered.

Seriously, why was everyone so shocked about ootoro?

It occurred to me a moment later that the girls were still squealing somehow, and I turned back to the hall curiously, instantly regretting it as I took in the endless sea of outlines. How big was this hall? I couldn't see the end of it, it looked like an endless tunnel that led into void, and I bit my lip again.

So many people…

"Ki-chan, are you alright?" Honey asked suddenly, and I stopped and looked up at him, since he was sitting on Mori's shoulders.

"I'm fine, Honey-senpai" I said simply, nodding my head in acknowledgement.

"Are you sure?" Honey asked hesitantly, "You look nervous". I restrained a frown at his statement because, I was nervous wasn't I?

'_Stop looking nervous!'_ My mind exclaimed, '_you're an actor. Act!'_

Immediately I removed the nervousness from my face, keeping my face perfectly calm, and I bowed my head in respect.

"I thank you for the concern, Honey-senpai, but I am perfectly alright" I said, and I could feel Honey and Mori's stares on me.

"If you say so" Honey said simply, but I could tell he didn't believe me.

* * *

All of the hosts were busy dancing with their various requests, including me. I was dimly surprised that someone actually requested me, since I had significantly less requests than others, and it was more surprising that I had a group of them all waiting their turn when the song ended. Thankfully the girl who I was dancing with currently didn't seem like the talkative type, and so we shared a silent ballroom dance that I decided was much better.

It still felt like this hall was a doorway into the void, and at every angle it was clear at first, and then it got blurry, and then more blurry and then it continued to fade and blur until nothing was left, and so all around me was a black void. It had always been like this for me, but the fact that I couldn't even see the walls made me feel uncomfortable, and the clusters of outlines all in one place – an endless sea of them – made me unconsciously bite my lip. This hall was just _too _large, and I was sure I had never been in a room this big before.

_Keep eye contact_; I told myself, making sure to not look anywhere but the eyes of the woman I was dancing with. I could make out her eyes from the close distance we were at, and it prevented me from looking around the giant room.

Eventually the song came to an end and I stopped with the girl as the room clapped in unison, and I kept eye-contact with her as she bowed slightly.

"Thank you for the dance, Kitamura-kun" she said nervously, and just like that she walked away, and I blinked. That was fast.

"I'm getting a drink" I muttered to no one in particular, looking around in search of the drinks table. It then occurred to me that I couldn't see it because this room was _too big._

_Calm down. You've been in this situation before. Ask someone where it is._

"Kitamura-kun" came a female voice, and I turned and noticed an outline standing behind me, and I smiled warmly.

"Would you dance with me?" she asked, and I nodded.

"Of course" I said politely, because it wasn't like I would turn her down.

"Kasuga-chan is here" I heard Honey whisper from behind me, but I did not turn to him, taking the girl's hands and began to dance with her as the music begun. I didn't play any part in the plan of Kasuga's romantic issues, so I supposed I would continue to dance until I had some free time.


	7. Sanda-chan

**K guys, few things:**

**First of all my email account decided not to work and hotmail is being dumb and won't give me a chance to reset my password, so if you send me PMs I don't get an email notification, so I'll be responding later than usual.**

**Also my mock exams are coming up in a couple of weeks, and since the dumb government scrapped January exams these mock exams form the basis of our applications to university. So yeah, you should be able to guess that chap updates will be irregular/non-existent.**

**Finally, since I can't be bothered to update my other fic, thanks for your reviews on chap 62, I love your response to RokoxYuki :)**

* * *

I sighed to myself lowly, cradling a delicate crystal glass in my right hand filled with simple ice water as I watched the hosts dance with their requests. It took a surprisingly great deal of effort and asking people to simply find the drinks table, all the while being followed by women who stood several feet behind me the whole time, clearly hoping to dance with me when I was done with my drink. It was actually really surprising for me that people were wanting to dance with me, since I never thought I was popular in the host club by any standards, and as I glanced around me I noticed several women whose heads kept turning to me every so often, only to snap back when I turned my head to them.

Being in the Host Club was definitely unique, since ever since I joined – or rather I was forced to join – I had suddenly gained admirers, something I wasn't used to. I had always had a quiet life with a small group of friends and nothing more than that, and frankly I saw nothing overly appealing in myself, so having a fan club was an odd change to adjust to. Haruhi was probably in a similar situation to me, but she handled it much better.

I sipped my water again, practically rolling my eyes at how delicate the glass was in my hand.

Speaking of Haruhi, she had disappeared off earlier when Kasuga appeared, and Tamaki had also left as part of the plan, and while the hosts danced there seemed to be a whole army of women standing in one corner of the room awaiting their prince fervently, their outlines clustering and blurring into a giant blotch of shades of grey. I had never truly thought about the popularity of the Host Club, and being here with all of their admirers – including my own – it was clear just how much the women of Ouran loved the Host Club.

I glanced around once more, taking in the black void of the room and frowning. I'd calmed down after my short panic over how many people were here, and I'd gotten sort of used to it, since I imagined this would be a recurring thing as long as I was part of the Host Club.

I sipped my glass again, noting it was finished and I looked around, remembering where the drinks table was and weaving in between the crowds of dressed-up women to reach the table, where I handed it to the staff member who took it gladly. Kyouya had not been exaggerating when he talked about how extravagant this event would be, since he even hired catering staff to manage the food and drinks served.

"Kitamura-sama"

I turned my head curiously, noting the outline of another woman in front of me. She had called me 'Kitamura-sama'. That was certainly something I'd never heard before.

"You will dance with me, yes?" the woman asked, and I restrained a frown at her rhetorical question and nodded my head politely.

"Of course" I replied calmly, offering my hand, and the woman took it gracefully, and I could see the manners ingrained in her in that one gesture. We both turned and calmly walked towards the ballroom floor, though her steps were very slightly ahead of mine, and I could tell she was the demanding, spoilt-rich type of woman, though I said nothing. We stepped onto the dance floor quickly as the orchestra began a new piece, and the woman turned to me and offered her hands, which I took in my own carefully, saying nothing as we began to step in time to the music.

"Ah, I never introduced myself, did I, Kitamura-sama?" the girl asked suddenly, and I shook my head.

"I'm sorry, I was rude to have not asked before" I replied politely, and the girl chuckled slightly.

"There is no need, my name is Ayanokoji. I've only been to the Host Club once before, and you are by far my favourite host"

Ayanokoji. I almost faltered half a step when she said that name, quickly regaining my polite composure. She was the girl who attacked Haruhi on her first day as a host and threw her bag into the fountain. The jealous former client of Tamaki.

"It's nice to meet you, Ayanokoji-san" I returned simply, and the girl nodded in acknowledgement.

Why was she here? Why was she dancing with me? Was she trying to make Tamaki jealous? But then why did she mention her name, if I was there when she was expelled from the Host Club? Was it because I was blind? Did she think I was an idiot to not remember her name? Did she truly believe I would forget, and I would buy her story that she's a new client?

I felt anger stir in my gut, but I kept my polite mask on as we danced together, already formulating what this meant. Ayanokoji clearly thought that I would have no idea who she was. So why did she choose me exactly, rather than Honey, Mori or the twins?

The obvious answer was because I was half-blind. She probably assumed I'd have no idea who she was because I'd never seen her before.

What a filthy liar. She must think I was an idiot.

"How are you doing this evening, Ayanokoji-san?" I asked calmly, and she nodded in acknowledgement.

"I'm doing wonderful, thank you for asking" she returned politely, "The dancing and food here are all wonderful"

"I am glad you like it" I replied, "I will be sure to extend your compliments to Tamaki-senpai"

Even with my lack of vision I could see her form shake slightly in the barest hesitation, and I was sure now. This was the girl.

"Ah, you don't need to do that" she insisted calmly, though I had already seen through it, "I was simply making an off-handed compliment". I cocked my head at her, faking an ever so soft smile.

"You're rather modest Ayanokoji-san" I returned calmly, and the woman nodded.

"Thank you, Kitamura-sama" she thanked, and I restrained the urge to walk away. 'Kitamura-sama'. Another way to try to get Tamaki jealous. We continued our dance wordlessly, and I restrained a frown the entire time, torn between accepting her false words calmly and simply scolding her idiocy. How stupid did she think I was? Just because I'm half-blind, that justifies the idea that I'm an idiot?

"May I ask you a question, Ayanokoji-san?" I asked curiously, and the woman nodded.

"Of course, Kitamura-sama" she replied, and I did my best to restrain a twitch of my eye.

"What do you think of me? As a host" I asked, and the girl cocked her head curiously.

"What do you mean, Kitamura-sama?" she asked.

"I've never had someone designate me as a favourite" I lied, "And I don't see what's appealing about me, and so I was wondering what you find interesting about me". The girl chuckled amusedly, and I waited, gauging her reaction.

"I believe it is you who is modest, Kitamura-sama" she returned politely.

Filthy liar. I could practically hear her internally laughing at me, thinking that I believed her.

"I find your gentlemanly personality a good trait" she explained, "And your eyes are very interesting, and somewhat…" she trailed off, and I cocked my head curiously.

"_Alluring_" she finished, and I mentally recoiled in distaste.

"Thank you, Ayanokoji-san" I returned politely, and the woman nodded in acknowledgement as we continued to dance.

"I love your suit, Kitamura-sama. It matches your eyes" she said suddenly.

For some reason that one sentence cracked my polite façade entirely, and I narrowed my eyes. Liar. She didn't care one bit about my eyes. She thought that because I couldn't see clearly I wouldn't recognize her and she would use me to make Tamaki jealous and win him back. This girl was plain disgusting.

"Kitamura-sama?" she asked hesitantly.

"Do you think I'm an idiot?" I cut in, and I could see her outline straighten in shock.

"Excuse me?" she asked sharply, and I narrowed my eyes further.

"Do you think that because I'm half-blind I wouldn't be able to recognize you, and you could use me to make Tamaki jealous of you, _Ayanokoji_?" I asked pointedly, and the girl straightened, stopping completely and ripping her hands out of mine.

"How dare you!" she exclaimed, and if we were drawing attention at this point I didn't even care.

"How dare I?" I asked, "How dare you. How dare you attack Haruhi and try to force him out of the Host Club. How dare you defile Haruhi's property out of your own jealousy. How dare you come here and think I would be stupid enough to not recognize you, when you know well I was there when you were expelled from the Host Club by Tamaki himself"

I could hear murmurs and whispers now, but I couldn't bring myself to care as I stared down the woman, whose outline was shaking in anger.

"You…" she began, clenching her fists, "You stupid, blind _idiot!"_ she exclaimed, and suddenly she turned and dashed away, and I watched her outline quickly fade away with a sort of grim satisfaction. It then occurred to me that no one was dancing, and I looked around and noticing how almost every single outline in the room was staring right at me, and I suddenly felt extremely awkward. I didn't even realise what I'd just done, and now I was being rude to the other guests by disturbing them.

"Kitamura" I heard Kyouya say, and I turned to him, noting how he was only a few feet in front of me. I immediately realised what I'd done and bowed to Kyouya at a 90 degree angle in respect.

"I apologize Kyouya-senpai, I did not mean to disturb the guests" I apologized quickly, staring at the ground in submission.

"That was Ayanokoji, wasn't it?" Kyouya asked, and I nodded.

"That's right, senpai" I said quickly.

"It's fine, Kitamura" Kyouya insisted, "I'll have to inform the security that they slipped up on the guest list". I stayed staring at the ground in my submissive bow, scolding myself for being such an idiot. I could have handled that in a much more subtle manner, but instead I humiliated her and disturbed the peace of the Dance Party.

"You can stand up now, Kitamura" Kyouya said after a while, and I straightened and looked him in the eyes respectfully.

"Thank you, Kyouya-senpai" I replied calmly, and Kyouya nodded.

"Tamaki has asked for us at the gardens, since his plan is nearing its finale" Kyouya declared, and I nodded, remembering Tamaki's plan as he explained it in great detail.

"Of course, Kyouya-senpai" I returned politely.

* * *

"Well then, ladies and gentlemen…" Tamaki began, as the two were lit up under spotlights. On cue the doors opened and all the guests trickled out onto the balcony at the front of the garden, and from our perch I and the hosts watched the two look around in confusion. I wasn't surprised really, and frankly I wondered if the spotlights were necessary. I may have been half-blind, but even I could see how bright they were.

"…Our lovely night together has finally come down to the last song". The guests continued to pour out into the garden, and I wondered if Ayanokoji would be watching. The thought made me stir slightly in anger, but I quickly suppressed it and watched.

"The last waltz of our host club is dedicated to this couple" Tamaki declared regally, pointing gracefully at the two. There was a very long period of silence, during which even the guests were completely silent, the quiet filled by the slight gust of wind in the air, and the man – I'd forgotten his name – turned to Kasuga slowly, bowing slightly and extending his hand.

"Princess Kasuga" he began, and I raised an eyebrow. Was that really necessary? It sounded like he'd taken a page from Tamaki's book.

"Would you be willing to dance with me?" he asked, and another long period of silence filled the air, in which the two stared at each other, and I imagined they were sharing a romantic moment, though I couldn't tell.

After a long moment Kasuga moved her arm, carefully placing her hand in the man's.

"Of course" she said quietly, and there was a pause before they both stood up, and suddenly the sound of the orchestra playing resounded in the garden. I didn't bother to ask how they had all moved into the garden without being noticed and instead watched the couple as they began to dance, the other hosts doing the same. I felt a rather soft smile on my face, but it quickly melted when I noticed that Hikaru and Kaoru were eating bananas for some reason, judging by the outline.

The couple's dance was practiced and well-rehearsed, and even though I couldn't make out their details I could practically sense the soft vibes of romance between the two.

"I love you, I always have" the man said evenly, and I continued to smile softly.

"Let me propose to you again" he said, and I imagined the look on Kasuga's face.

"Let us bless this clumsy couple!" Tamaki exclaimed suddenly, extending his arms outwards dramatically and almost hitting Haruhi in the face had she not ducked.

"Tonight's Dance Queen is…" Kaoru began through a microphone.

"Princess Kasugasaki Kanako" Hikaru finished, and there was the sound of applause as the guests clapped lightly.

"Well then, the blessing from the king…" Kaoru began, and Tamaki took a step forward.

"My time has come, eh?" he asked, and I felt myself frown. Tamaki had such a crude way of handling things like that.

"…Has been changed to being from Fujioka Haruhi!" Hikaru finished, and I blinked in surprise. Tamaki and Haruhi both froze, staring back and forth at the twins' outlines incredulously. The two simply held their hands flat at their sides, like they had nothing to hide.

"Because Kyouya-senpai said 'an accident at the end will heat things up'" they explained, and I dimly remembered Kyouya saying that. Those twins were very devious. But more importantly, was Haruhi OK with kissing another girl? I heard the couple have a mumbled conversation with each other, but I couldn't hear what they were saying.

"This is going too far" Haruhi deadpanned, and I internally agreed with her.

"I'll cut your debt by a third" Kyouya said simply, and Haruhi didn't hesitate to turn.

"Well, it's just the cheek" she mumbled as she walked down the steps, and I frowned. Kyouya was manipulating Haruhi because of her debt. She should really be given a longer leash than that. Haruhi descended the stairs slowly, and Kasuga moved to meet her halfway.

"Hey" Honey said suddenly, "Do you think this could be Haru-chan's first kiss?" he asked.

"What!?" was the immediate response from Tamaki. Haruhi moved to Kasuga and cupped her face carefully, tilting her head slightly and leaning her head forward to kiss her on the cheek, but Tamaki was already moving.

"Just hold up on that kiss!" Tamaki exclaimed, covering the distance instantly, when suddenly he stepped on a banana peel – which I noted was _suspiciously_ similar to the bananas Hikaru and Kaoru had just ate – and Tamaki tripped, pushing Haruhi's back, and their outlines meshed together, and I assumed Haruhi had kissed her on the cheek. Suddenly there was a collective gasp, and I turned my head curiously as Tamaki dramatically fell to the ground like a pancake. What was the gasp for?

The two separated in an instant, cupping their mouths, and the guests let out a collective squeal, some squealing in delight and others wailing in pain, clearly wanting to be in Kasuga's position, but over a cheek kiss?

"Kyouya-senpai" I said, as Tamaki extended his arm to Haruhi from the ground in a pathetic display.

"What is it, Kitamura?" Kyouya asked.

"Why is everyone squealing?" I asked curiously, and I could see the hosts turn to me.

"Aw, you missed Haru-chan's first kiss, Ki-chan!" Honey exclaimed, and I raised an eyebrow.

"First kiss?" I echoed, and Kyouya's outline nodded.

"Haruhi accidently kissed Kasuga on the lips" he explained, and my eyes widened slightly.

"Oh" I said rather awkwardly.

* * *

I opened the door with the spare key, dressed back in my Ouran uniform, closing the door behind me slowly and locking it, depositing my shoes on the ground. It was around seven o'clock, so my parents would probably both be busy working in the tea shop right now, which gave me time alone with Yumi and her boyfriend. I sighed lowly, dimly hoping he had left.

"Ah, Saito" came my mother's voice, and I looked up to her outline curiously.

"How was it?" she asked, and I nodded politely.

"The event was interesting. Haruhi accidently kissed a girl who was engaged" I explained simply, and my mother gasped, covering her mouth with one hand and chuckling slightly.

"I see. You'd best watch his back, Saito" she said, since I never told her Haruhi was in fact a girl, and I nodded in slight amusement.

"I'm on break, but Yumi and Sakurai volunteered to wash up in the kitchen. We fed Sanda-chan an hour ago" she said simply, and with that she walked away, and I nodded to myself, shifting my bag on my shoulder as I moved through the house, pointedly avoiding the kitchen and going upstairs. It was strange, because I didn't want to avoid Yumi's boyfriend, but I didn't want to exactly meet him either.

I moved into my room, placing my bag in the corner of the room and sighing to myself. I moved to my glass wardrobe, sliding it open and selecting something more comfortable, and I decided on a t-shirt, a pullover hoodie and a pair of jeans, peeling off my uniform and putting on the clothes quickly. It was late in the day, and I pulled a book from my shelf on the wall and moved to Sanda-chan's tank, opening the lid, and the small black and white king snake slithered out of her hollow, and I offered my hand with a soft smile, and Sanda-chan moved onto my hand and began to climb up my arm, and I simply closed the lid and walked out of the room, moving down the stairs with my book and a snake slithering up my arm. I moved into the living room, sitting down on the sofa simply and leaning into it, getting comfortable as Sanda-chan reached my shoulders and hissed softly, and I smiled and stroked her flanks with my flat hand.

I opened my book and began to read where I left off, ignoring how Sanda-chan began to wrap herself around my neck. She was simply getting comfortable, and so I was used to the sensation on my neck and read like nothing interesting was happening. Eventually Sanda-chan got comfortable and simply hissed lowly, to which I smiled ever so softly.

"Saito!" Yumi exclaimed, and I looked up from my book as my sister stepped into the room, practically dragging the outline of someone who appeared about half a foot taller than her.

"When did you get back?" she asked.

"Only a few minutes ago, Yumi-neesan" I replied politely, and her outline nodded in acknowledgement, pulling the arm of the outline next to her forward, and I dimly felt sorry for her boyfriend.

"This is Sakurai Taro, my boyfriend" she said calmly.

"Yo" Sakurai greeted, nodding his head in acknowledgement, and I returned the nod.

"It's nice to meet you, Sakurai-san" I said simply.

"Don't call me that" Sakurai returned, "Just Sakurai will do"

"Don't bother Taro" Yumi cut in, "Saito's too polite, and he never calls anyone without honorifics". I felt dimly hurt by her comment, but I shrugged it off and looked at them politely. I noted that Sanda-chan raised her head, stretching upwards so that her smaller head was next to mine, and I could see her tongue flicker as she tasted the scent of the new stranger. Sakurai's taller outline straightened, but I was used to such reactions.

"Uh…" he began.

"Saito, why did you bring Sanda-chan down with you?" Yumi cut in, and I sat up, stroking Sanda-chan's flanks with my flat hand as she continued to stare down Sakurai.

"I'm sorry, Yumi-neesan, I'll put her back" I said quickly, but her sigh stopped me.

"There's no point now" she muttered, and I frowned but leaned back into the sofa, since I was getting rather comfortable.

"Why do you have a snake around your neck?" Sakurai asked hesitantly, and I looked up to his outline.

"That's Sanda-chan" Yumi cut in again, "Saito's pet king snake. He practically brings her all over the house with him, so it's not uncommon to see her around his neck"

"Yeah, but…" Sakurai returned hesitantly, and I smiled in half-amusement. I understood that to everyone else it was weird and probably dangerous to have a snake constantly around your neck, but for me it was almost natural.

"Sanda-chan has been around his neck for four years now" Yumi said simply, "And not once has she tried to strangle him"

"She bit me once, Yumi-neesan" I intervened, and Yumi's outline turned to me and put her hands on her hips.

"You were fourteen and you hadn't washed your hands after eating a burger when you handled her, of course she bit you" she said simply, and I simply nodded my head. Sanda-chan had in fact done that once, but it was due to my own foolishness, and so it became a religious thing for me to wash my hands after eating meat. Snake bites were not at all simple pricks. They hurt. A lot.

"How can you talk so casually about that?" Sakurai mumbled out loud, and Yumi simply shrugged.

"It's weird, but you get used to it" she deadpanned, and I frowned. I was weird?

"Anyway" she said suddenly, "I'm going to make tea, do you want some?" she asked, and I shook my head politely.

"No thank you, Yumi-neesan" I said simply, and she turned to Sakurai.

"You want some, Taro?" she asked.

"Nah, I'm good" Sakurai said simply, and Yumi nodded, leaving the room quickly, and it immediately occurred to me how awkward the situation was. I was alone in a room with Yumi's boyfriend. Wonderful. Sakurai didn't seem to say anything, and so I stroked Sanda-chan's flanks with my free hand to avoid the awkwardness, but I noted how her head was watching Sakurai like a periscope.

"Uh, your snake's staring at me" Sakurai said hesitantly, and I nodded.

"Sanda-chan is like that with new people. She won't harm you" I returned evenly, and Sakurai's shoulders seemed to slouch ever so slightly, and he moved to the sofa opposite the one I was sat on and sat down, leaning back into the couch and spreading his arms outwards over the back, and I restrained a frown at his impolite gesture in another person's house.

"How can you be so calm with a snake around your neck?" he asked curiously, and I raised an eyebrow.

"I suppose you get used to it. Sanda-chan has a habit of crawling up people's arms and wrapping herself around people's necks" I returned calmly, and there was a slight pause.

"And you're OK with that?" he asked hesitantly, and I nodded.

"I know she won't harm me. Snakes are smart enough to understand that humans are much larger than them, so a human could easily kill a snake if they were aggravated by a bite" I explained, and I could see his outline lean forward slightly.

"Aren't you afraid it'll chew your finger off or something?" he asked, and I shook my head.

"A snake's fangs are used for killing and biting, not chewing" I said, stroking Sanda-chan's head with my flat hand, whose gaze was still on Sakurai as she tasted his scent.

"Eh? They're not?" he asked curiously, and I smiled softly.

"No, snakes don't chew their prey" I began, "When they hunt, they uncoil, bite their prey and kill them without chewing. They have elastic ligaments on their jaws, so they can expand their mouths to three times the size of their head. They don't chew their prey, they kill them then expand their mouths, closing their mouths around their prey and swallowing them whole". Snakes were fascinating, and I'd always loved the unique style in which they hunted and ate, and how interesting they could be. It was why I decided I wanted a pet snake.

I could see the visible hesitation in Sakurai's outline, and after a moment he lowered his shoulders.

"That's kind of creepy" he muttered, and I smiled radiantly in fascination.

"It is, isn't it?" I asked happily, stroking Sanda-chan's head again.

"Hmm" Sakurai muttered, and I looked up to his outline curiously.

"What is it, Sakurai-san?" I asked.

"You don't look anything like Yumi" he declared, "You don't have her hair or eyes or anything. Are you really her little brother?" he asked, and my polite mask did not falter.

"Adopted little brother" I returned simply, and I could hear him splutter slightly.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to-"

"It's fine" I cut in, "People ask quite often, so I'm used to the question"

We shared a rather awkward silence afterward, in which Sanda-chan hissed lowly again, and I stroked her head with my flat hand. The fact that Sakurai had noticed my eyes were different but had not said anything either meant he wasn't really paying attention to the colour of my eyes or he already knew I was half-blind. Hopefully it was the latter, because I didn't think explaining so would make this any less awkward.

"So Yumi said you're a second year in high school" he said suddenly, and I nodded politely.

"That's right" I replied calmly.

"What subject do you major in?" he asked.

"Drama" I returned, and his outline cocked his head.

"You don't seem like the type who would do Drama" he said slowly, and I half-smiled and nodded.

"You'd be surprised. The Drama students at Ouran are the same" I stated, and Sakurai's outline straightened suddenly.

"Ouran?" he echoed, "Ouran Gakuen?"

"That's right" I replied hesitantly, and Sakurai leaned forward.

"No way, you go there? I heard it's a school for the world's rich elite" he declared, and I frowned. Was Ouran that prestigious? I suppose it was on the surface but being part of the school, surrounded by all of the events and chaos it's easy to forget.

"I got in on a Drama scholarship" I stated simply, and Sakurai continued to lean forward.

"Wow. You must be really smart" he exclaimed, and I held up my hands in protest.

"Thank you for your comment, but I'm not that smart" I explained, "I only got in because of my grades in Drama"

"You must be a really good actor then" Sakurai declared, and I hesitated.

"I'm not that good…" I protested, and in that moment Yumi walked into the room with a cup in her hands, and Sakurai looked up and leaned back in the sofa comfortably.

"Yumi, how come you never told me your brother was in Ouran?" Sakurai asked incredulously, and I blinked. Was I really that intelligent to him?

"Ah, sorry" Yumi said simply, "But you never ask about Saito"

"But your brother is in Ouran!" Sakurai exclaimed, "Do you even know how big of a deal Ouran is? It's one of the best schools in Japan!"

I mentally smirked, recalling my events of the Host Club and comparing them to the information Sakurai was giving me. Ouran was prestigious, but it was by no means an amazing and intelligent school when you were a student.

"It is a big deal" Yumi admitted, "But it doesn't matter really. Saito will do what he wants regardless" she said, and I blinked.

"I'm not that smart, Yumi-neesan" I muttered, and Yumi sighed.

"Sure you aren't, Saito" she said simply, and I could tell she didn't believe me.


End file.
